One does not often witness good engineering management on a grand scale, at home, in a rural setting. The recent ice storm gave people in upstate New York, and elsewhere, that opportunity. The storm commenced on Monday, Jan. 5, and continued through Friday night with little pause. During the last three days the air was filled with the noise of tree limbs cracking and falling - like gunfire.
The occasion of this outage seems to have fallen at an intersection of strategies. One strategy had provided power and communication to the masses reliably-excepting last month. Other strategies exist for responding to various emergencies (including this one). Now lessons will be learned to frame new management strategies.
Even before the storm was well under way, line crews started arriving. Power was lost Thursday morning, and by Saturday it was clear that an army of crews had arrived to go to work - the word to us was three more weeks, eight weeks for some. We've come to depend so extensively on the availability of communications and power that doing without can be somewhat disorienting, I think (or perhaps reorienting). On the other hand, it was technology that allowed a massive recovery effort to be mobilized and managed in a well-coordinated manner.
Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation faced a work scope of incredible magnitude. Replace over 7,000 poles and approximately 2,500 transformers, and string 300 miles of conductor to get 300,000 people back on line. In Potsdam, the hospital ran on emergency generators for five days. In a matter of a few days, the utility mobilized 4,000 workers from as far away as Michigan and North Carolina. They formed 1,350 crews. I recall one convoy of about 100 utility trucks arriving in a dark village at 2 a.m. It was about 10 degrees below zero (-23 C) when I heard a driver question "What is this, some kind of hell?" We wondered too.
What was notable was that the workers came and worked as though they cared, and the residents responded as if they appreciated. Both did. In many respects, it was engineering management at its best. I am certain similar stories have played out across northern New England and Quebec, and now California and Florida. Perhaps one day the Review can run a story that details how this storm and its plans, strategies, efforts, and results unfolded. Until then, a hearty thanks to the utilities that showed so much commitment and ability in responding to our emergency needs:
Allegheny Power Service Corp.
Bell Atlantic Long Island Lighting Company
Carolina Power and Light
Central Huson Gas and Electric Corp.
Central Vermont Public Service
Consolidated Edison of New York
Consumers Energy
Duquesne Light Company
First Energy/Ohio Edison
GPU Energy
Long Island Lighting Company
Niagra Mohawk Power Corp.
Northeast Utilities
Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc.
PECO Energy Company
Pennsylvania Power and Light Company
Rochestor Gas and Electric Company
Virginia Power
A lot of people here remain grateful for your good work, and we know that you did not have time to enjoy yourselves. Come back this summer with your family and relax. The weather is going to be great and I'm certain the fish will be biting. I've got my motorcycle all tuned up and am only waiting for the ice to melt.
P.S. With all of the emergencies that have occurred this winter, I am sure there are many stories to share. Send a letter to the Review and tell us your experience or express your appreciation.