When the call for help happens, energy companies respond because we share the same priority to keep the power flowing. AVANGRID is proud to have sent crews from across our family of companies to help restore power to the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Restoring power is critical to recovery, and we’re committed to helping our fellow energy companies rebuild their communities, just as they have helped us respond to major events at AVANGRID.
The electric power industry’s mutual assistance network was created with situations like Hurricane Ida in mind. This network represents a partnership among electric companies across the county to facilitate efficient restoration. As part of mutual aid, AVANGRID has sent 64 company line and supervisor/support personnel and 78 contact line workers for a total of 142 AVANGRID company and contract workers to support restoration efforts in the Gulf Coast.
“In the wake of natural disasters, it is an all hands-on deck situation,” said Trish Nilsen, AVANGRID director of emergency preparedness. “Hurricanes, earthquakes and other severe storms can cause significant damage to the energy grid that requires substantial effort to restore power. We know first-hand that mutual aid can make an impactful difference to speed-up restoration efforts, so we reviewed our resources and determined we were able to offer available support while still ensuring we maintain enough crews to address outages at home.”
The AVANGRID crews heading to the Gulf Coast include support from Central Maine Power, United Illuminating, New York State Electric & Gas, and Rochester Gas and Electric.
September 9 Update
Crews from the AVANGRID team, including Central Maine Power, United Illuminating, NYSEG and RG&E, have been hard at work in Louisiana assisting with historic restoration efforts following Hurricane Ida. As our involvement continues, we will provide regular updates here on our blog to give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we are helping to rebuild the storm-battered grid.
Their long journey south began on August 31. They made it safely to the greater New Orleans area and began lending a helping hand (and bucket trucks) wherever possible. Some early logistical challenges, long daily commutes from their lodging to their work locations, and last but not least, tough weather conditions such as temperatures in the 90s coupled with high humidity and severe thunder and lightning storms. Check out this photo of a lightning strike right outside of New Orleans taken by CMP lineworker Jason Johnson, who is on the frontlines supporting these efforts.
As of today, lodging conditions have improved and commute times are shorter. The weather has remained a challenge but isn’t slowing team AVANGRID down. “We continue to see heavy rain daily,” said Dennis Lajoie, CMP Manager of Regional Operations. “But our crews are staying safe and working through get the job done.”
September 10 Update
Crews continued working tirelessly in Louisiana despite hot, humid, and rainy conditions for our crews. Lodging conditions continue to improve, with convenient locations for worksite commuting, eating, and laundry. Crews in New Orleans discovered that a local church was providing free laundry services staffed by volunteers. The crews dropped off their laundry and got it back less than 24 hours later. They collected almost $500 amongst themselves to donate to the operation. Fresh laundry may seem like a minor detail, but when you’ve spent 17 hours in the blistering sun, the last thing you want to do before falling into bed is handwash your own dirty clothes in the hotel bathtub and hope they’ve air-dried by morning.
That’s just one example of the community becoming re-energized, both literally and in spirit. Our CMP, UI, NYSEG, and RG&E crews report being welcomed and thanked—and have been offered homemade food and cold drinks by grateful residents.
“Thursday’s weather brought cooler temperatures—the first day without a heat index over 100 degrees in a while,” said Kyle Phelix, NYSEG Manager of Regional Operations. “That was a welcome change, especially after completing repairs to the section of line that feeds St. Charles Surgical Hospital in New Orleans.”
September 14 Update
AVANGRID crews continued their hard work throughout the weekend as restoration efforts pushed forward in the Gulf Coast. On Saturday, crews began their day with a moment of silence in honor of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the brave and innocent lives that were lost. United Illuminating workers were invited to a remembrance event at a nearby firehouse where the bell they rang was fashioned from an old, self-contained breathing apparatus.
Central Maine Power focused on setting poles and underground work, where they repaired and replaced underground equipment, including a submerged transformer. For United Illuminating, workers continued hanging cable under conveyer belts at a local grain mill. And our New York crews were met with a friendly reminder of just how small our world can be.
Brett Slocum, son of a retired NYSEG chief lineman, serves as the director of emergency management at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. He and his family prepared 40 grab bags for the team, including traditional Louisiana red beans and rice, cheddar corn bread muffins, praline, and refreshments. Slocum was happy to provide this care package for our crews, saying, “a little southern hospitality for your trip to the Big Easy and helping out all the residents of the greater metro New Orleans area.”
September 17 Update
On Monday morning, the CMP crews began their multi-day journey back to Maine, arriving back in Kennebunk on Wednesday afternoon. While the UI crews have officially wrapped up their assignment and will head home on Friday, NYSEG and RG&E remain in Louisiana for now—working in back lots with some fancy (and fun!) equipment like tracked diggers and bulldozers. The constant rain has created very wet and muddy conditions, with six to nine inches of standing water in what used to be a field.
“It’s essentially turned into a swamp, with a lot of snakes and spiders,” said Kyle Phelix, NYSEG Manager of Regional Operations, lead for team NYSEG and RG&E.
Their staging area is now located at the NOLA Motorsports Park, where no races are being held…unless you count the incredible volunteer efforts to provide meals to the deployed crews right there at the track!
One such meal was provided by a local family, the Slocums, as a sign of local hospitality. The NY crews signed a ‘thank you’ card for them and attempted to cover the family’s expenses, but instead all agreed to make a $500 donation to the Louisiana Hospitality Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting the hospitality industry by providing access to education, workforce development and financial assistance or guidance to people in the industry during times of crisis. Hearing about the team’s generosity, NYSEG and RG&E President and CEO Carl A. Taylor made a personal gift of $500 to match the donation