When citizens and other states suffer catastrophic losses, Oklahomans are always near offering care through acts of service and kindness. During the aftermath of Hurricane Ida’s massive destruction in Louisiana, the employees of Tulsa-based Public Service Company of Oklahoma were quick to help. Their relief efforts were recently recognized with Edison Electric Institute’s Emergency Response Award.
More than 100 PSO workers and contractors travelled 650 miles to help New Orleans-based Entergy Corp. rebuild the Louisiana power grid, which had been devastated by 150 mph winds and flooding. PSO crews came from throughout Oklahoma, including the Tulsa, McAlester and Lawton areas.
Within two weeks, PSO crews put in thousands of hours of work under challenging conditions that included high temperatures, lack of facilities, washed out roads and alligators.
According to an assessment by Entergy, Hurricane Ida damaged more than 30,500 distribution poles, 6,000 transformers, more than 36,500 spans of distribution wire, nearly 500 transmission structures, more than 225 substations and 210 transmission lines. Rebuilding after a natural disaster of that proportion required an army of skilled workers. PSO employees delivered “the Oklahoma standard” to Louisiana citizens in dire need of assistance.
“Our people worked long and hard to restore electricity to customers, and I’m proud to see their efforts recognized,” said Jennifer Ellis, PSO Distribution Vice President. “In Oklahoma, we know about weather disasters, and we’re always willing to help where we can. We’ve benefited from the help of others in the past, and we know how important it is. That sort of mutual assistance is the backbone of a resilient electric grid.”
