Asplundh Responds to January’s Snow and Ice

We made it through Y2K peacefully, but during the last two weeks of January Asplundh tree and construction crews found themselves on emergency storm work in various parts of the country.

Although it wasn’t one of Asplundh’s largest storm responses, hundreds of Asplundh crews hit the roads to help utilities restore power when a series of record-breaking ice and snow storms hit parts of the South from the Carolinas to Texas.

Actually, the stormy two weeks got started around January 16 when powerful winds in the Pacific Northwest knocked down trees and power lines in the Mick Kavran Region in Washington. However, his crews quickly handled the storm response themselves with no need for outside crews. (See “Storm Orchids”).

Then on January 23, ice began to build up on the trees and power lines in parts of Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas. The ice eventually changed to snow and it didn’t stop for at least 12 hours. By the middle of the next day, there were over 20 inches of the white stuff loaded up on the trees and power lines-the most snow that North Carolina has seen since the late 1800s.

No strangers to storm work, the Bob Atherton and Keith Fowler Regions began to immediately mobilize Asplundh crews for Duke Power Co., Carolina Power & Light Co. and various electric cooperatives and municipalities. Crews from the Tom McDonnell Region were also out on storm duty for Virginia Power, but no outside help was needed. Bundled up against the unusually frigid temperatures, Asplundh and Farrens crews from as far away as sunny, warm South Florida rolled into the Carolinas to help finish up the restoration.

Two days after the historic snowfall in the Carolinas, another ice storm hit northeast Texas and northern Louisiana, requiring additional tree and construction crews to help restore power on the Entergy and Southwestern Electric Power Co. systems there. Asplundh tree crews came from 12 management regions and 8 states came to help local crews remove ice-damaged trees.

Corporate Storm Coordinator Brent Asplundh communicated with more than 30 of our regional Tree Co. and Construction Services managers to get releases and mobilize crews during these storms. Afterwards, Brent commented, “Everyone’s cooperation made the response go relatively smoothly and I definitely appreciated it.”

Snowy, Icy Storm Orchids

Vice President Keith Fowler and crews, for the dedication and professionalism the Asplundh employees showed in helping to restore power after three severe weather events between January 23 and January 31, resulting in more than 290,000 outages during the first two storms and 160,000 during the third, Duke Power (NC)

General Foremen Cody Burkindine and Terry Clark and crews from the Brian McBrairty Region in Maryland, for hard work and willingness to assist in the restoration of power in the Aberdeen area, Carolina Power & Light Co. (NC)

General Foreman Greg Cantrell, Foremen Frank Ayers, John Gatrell, William Kuykendall, Kevin McFarlan, Terry McFarlan and Sammy Roy and crews from the Dave Puckett Region in West Virginia, for their most gracious help and genuine attitude displayed during storm clean-up work at Little Park in Wadesboro, Anson Co. Parks & Recreation Dept. (NC)

General Foremen Robbie Earlywine, Bobby King and Phillip Newland and crews from the Dave Ellifritz Region in Kentucky, for professionalism and accomplishing a lot of storm clean-up work in a short period of time in the Salisbury area, Duke Power (NC)

Manager Bob Atherton, General Foremen James Bethea, Tommy Hayes, Wayne McGee and Martin Roberts and crews, for working quickly and professionally in the snow and ice to help restore power to cooperative members, Lynches River Electric Cooperative (SC) (two letters were received)

General Foremen Randy Parham, David Buckalew, John Reeves and Troy Rice and crews, for working long hours in inclement weather to help restore power after the ice storm crisis in late January, Sand Mountain Electric Cooperative (AL)

General Foreman Eric Albert and crews, for excellent performance, attitudes and courtesy displayed during the ice storm restoration work in late January, Virginia Electric Power Co. (VA)

General Foreman Robert LeBlanc and crews from the Allen LeBlanc Region in Texas, for willingness to do a lot of work to help restore power in North Louisiana and doing it safely, Entergy (LA)

General Foreman Andrew Travis and crews, for working hard and safely in wet and cold conditions after the ice storm in North Louisiana in late January, Entergy (LA)

General Foreman Jerry Kensinger, Foremen Tony Echeverria, JR Ivers, Roy Ruble and Doug Williams and crews, for doing whatever was necessary to help restore power to customers in the Mt. Pleasant area after the ice storm in January, Southwestern Electric Power Co. (TX)