We still have about 1000 services out across out system. Montmorency County – Atlanta, Canada Creek, Hillman, Lewiston, Lake Avalon, Beaver Lake (where there a lot of forests and trees downed on lines), was hardest hit and have the most open outages as of this morning. Outside mutual aid crews worked late last night and started early this morning as they continue to work with our PIE&G crews.
We’ve found at least six broken poles on our system and we’ve replaced two so far. Some are located in the woods, but they’re working to get them replaced today. Generally speaking, a pole replacement takes two crews with a bucket and a digger truck. Depending on how accessible the pole is to get these trucks close (i.e. deep in the swamp or the woods vs. close to a road, two-track, etc.), it’s about a 6 hour job – not including additional time if special equipment (tracked utility vehicles, etc.) needs to be hauled to the site from headquarters, and more time for large tree removals or any other unforeseen complications. Keep in mind this is dangerous work, and safety is of the utmost priority for these crews.
PIE&G anticipates that most of the larger line outages should be restored today, but some individual services will likely take until tomorrow.
We thank all our members that were affected by the wind storm, for their patience and understanding of the efforts required to get the power back on!
