General

‘It’s an honor and a privilege’

OPPD’s mutual aid team returns home, weary but grateful for the opportunity to help restore power to communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Their journey has taken them over 4,500 miles across 11 states in 18 days.

When an OPPD mutual aid team took off for Beckley, West Virginia, on Sept. 28, they had no way of knowing they’d be supporting power restoration efforts after not just one, but two hurricanes.

The team returned home Tuesday evening.

“We worked for AEP, Appalachian Power in West Virginia for three days and then went down to Virginia for another three days,” said Ernie Ross, crew supervisor for the 16-member team.

This is Ross’s third time responding to hurricane damage as a member of a mutual aid team in his 25 years at OPPD. But it’s his first time leading the team.

“The damage there was clear back up in the Appalachian Mountains. There was a lot of wind and tree damage, and a lot of work that nobody else wanted to do. But our teams jumped in and helped the people out.”

It was physically exhausting – 16-hour days in rugged terrain. Work was time-intensive, requiring a lot of effort to restore small numbers of customers.

A passion to serve

“The passion that our crews have to serve our customers, no matter where they’re at, is what drives us,” Ross said. “It is tiring, but we know what it’s like to be without power. They need us. So, we’re there to help and do what we can.”

They spent a total of six days helping AEP restore power in West Virginia and Virginia. As work was wrapping up there, they got another call for help from Orlando Utilities Commission. That utility was lining up mutual aid support to pre-stage ahead of Hurricane Milton.

“We were made to do this. It’s an honor and a privilege when we’re asked to help out when they’re in their time of need. And it really is rewarding. It’s hard not to get choked up when I talk about that,” Ross said. “There’s a lot of satisfaction and honor when we get called to help other people, so they can start putting their lives back together after destruction.”

OPPD’s team didn’t hesitate to hit the road again, staying overnight in Macon, Georgia, before continuing to a safe staging area in Orlando. They waited for the storm to pass and then dived in the next day to help repair damaged infrastructure.

“The hurricane didn’t hit (that particular area) as bad as expected, but it was still pretty bad. A lot of wind and tree damage. They had about 86,000 or 87,000 customers out,” Ross said.

“It was a little bit different there than it was in Virginia and West Virginia. There aren’t very many hills in Orlando. A lot of tree damage. Big palm trees and oaks,” he said. “Tree limbs came down and tore a lot of their main line stuff down, so we were down there fixing that.”

Work there lasted about three days before they were released Oct. 13.

“We made some friends and relationships that will last. We leave a piece of ourselves there when we go,” Ross said.  “But the needs were met when we left.”

In good spirits

Ross said they’ve received many thanks from the communities and utilities they helped. But he said “You’re welcome” doesn’t seem like an appropriate response. He said mutual aid crews get more than they give.

“It’s an honor,” he said.

He said the team’s spirits were good as they made the long drive home.

“We’re worn out from the work, but we’re getting plenty of good sleep before we travel each day. The morale is great, and we are all telling stories and reflecting on the time we have spent helping others,” he said.

“We’re excited to see our families, and we’re thankful for all the extra work they’ve done on the home front so we could be away helping others.”