NB Power crews (from Canada) will help after Ivan hits southeast U.S.

CanadaEast.com ^ | September 16, 2004 | Phil Andrews

[NorthOf45]

RESTORING ELECTRICITY
NB Power crews will help after Ivan hits southeast U.S.
NBers currently assisting in Florida

BY PHIL ANDREWS
Telegraph-Journal

A contingent of NB Power workers currently helping Florida hydro crews deal with the ravages of hurricane Frances will also likely be part of the cleanup sure to follow from hurricane Ivan's wake in the southeastern United States.

Dave Agnew, NB Power's director of operations services, said the utility has consented to requests by a power utility that serves Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana to help out with repairs in those areas, if, as expected, hurricane Ivan causes widespread hydro system damage in those locations.

"It's going to be worse I think than (hurricane) Frances," said Mr. Agnew, of the storm that was to rip into an area between the Florida Panhandle and New Orleans around midnight Wednesday.

NB Power sent 20 line workers and four supervisors to Florida last week. The 10 crews and their trucks arrived Monday and were expected to be hundreds of kilometres from where hurricane Ivan is to have a dangerous impact, said Mr. Agnew.

The crews and vehicles, however, will be relocated or placed in a protected environment if hurricane Jean, following Ivan, but along a similar path to that of hurricane Frances, comes to threaten the area, said Mr. Agnew.

He said the crew in Florida will likely be flown out between Sept. 24 and Sept. 27 and replaced with a equal-sized contingent that will use the same trucks.

"It's pretty exhausting work," said Mr. Agnew, adding that NB Power will rotate crews doing such duty on about a three-week basis.

"Our business is not something where you should be walking around like a zombie if you will," he said.

He said previous out-of-province relief efforts - such as last fall in Nova Scotia, after hurricane Juan, have proven crews need a break after about three weeks.

All costs incurred by NB Power in the effort will be recouped from host power utilities receiving the assistance.

NB Power spokesman Jeffrey Carleton said the utility has received thank-yous from several Americans.

"It's a real goodwill gesture for Canada and New Brunswick," said Mr. Carleton. "These crews are ambassadors for us and their work is really being appreciated."

Mr. Carleton said said such efforts also assist NB Power customers when the utility needs help after damaging weather events such as ice storms.

The contingent will move from Florida when cleared to do so from that area's power utility. Mr. Agnew said the size of the relief force is likely to stay as is; NB Power determined it could send those crews and still manage most service need scenarios in New Brunswick.

[Shortwave]

Driving down I-95 in Maine, my dad saw 30 trucks in a convoy coming from Canada! He said it was pretty impressive.

[NorthOf45]

Here is another article which mentions Nova Scotia crews going down to assist ...

Link: http://www.canada.com/maritimes/news/story.html?id=386cbf73-0216-44bb-9e8f-d43c292e1ab0

NB Power sends crews to help Florida
Broadcast News
Friday, September 10, 2004

NB Power is sending 10 line crews to Florida to assist in the recovery from recent hurricanes.
The line crews and supervisory staff will leave from Fredericton today, and are expected to be in the state for at least two weeks.

Several million people are without electricity in Florida and the power system has suffered severe damage.

The New Brunswick crews will be working in the Daytona area on system reconstruction.

Expenses for the response effort will be borne by the Florida utilities.

Nova Scotia power says it has also designated crews and equipment to be sent south, once it gets the go-ahead from Florida Light and Power.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I remember about six years ago after some ice storms in Ontario downed transmission line towers, teams and supplies from a far away as Georgia flooded into Canada.

During bad ice storms in New England it is not uncommon to see teams from Hydro Quebec restoring power lines, with their cute little orange octagonal "ARRÊT" signs placed along the road.

[daybreakcoming]

Nova Scotia knows firsthand the damage of a hurricane - in their case, Hurricane Juan of a few years ago.

[headsonpikes]

Geez, byes, youse'd better lay in lots of OP rum if them herring-chokers is headin' down the road your way!

[NorthOf45]

I was in Ont shortly after the storm ... it was a MESS. The army was called in as well. I hope the American agencies were recognized accordingly.

Here is a shot of crews from MA woring in Quebec ...



Here's something you don't see every day. They drove this locomotive down the street to provide emegency power to a shelter ...



Some additional images ...







NB Power was in New England as well for the '98 Ice Storm. It's great to see cooperation in these situations.

[Joe Boucher]

At my house here in Port St. Lucie we took on 4 hours of Francis eye and 12 hours of hurricane winds. The power guys from Quebec were here in force and did an outstanding job of getting power back to thousands.
Thanks greately to them.
And I am not one to usually hand out complements to the woosie canucks.

[NorthOf45]

Ping

[NorthOf45]

Here's the thing ... it's not the average Canuck that is the issue, it's the liberal mindset and those that take it to an extreme.

[Warren_Piece]

Here is a photo I took on I-75 in Georgia, the day after Charley (we were headed to Disney World, belive it or not). There were HUNDREDS of trucks from all around the country. Does the heart good.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Pic #2 proves I wasn't making it up about the "ARRÊT" signs.

[NorthOf45]

Nice!

[libs_kma]

Normally I don't have much use for Cannucks, because all we hear from them are the loudmouths like that one lady (witch) pol up there.

But this is a great gesture that deserves some notice.

Here's one American that says "Thanks Canada"

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

I've spent a lot of time in Canada. It's like living in a country whose only network is PBS. Most of the people are fine, but they do get an extremely distorted picture of the U.S.

By dwelling on the imperfections of their neighbor to the south, they fall into to the dangerous habit of minimizing or overlooking the gross defects in the rest of world. In the minds of many Canadians the people shredders of Iraq were preferrable to the liberators from Fort Bragg. Also, dwelling on the imperfections of the Americans gives certain Canadians a smug self-satisfaction which allows them to ignore - or worse defend - problems in Canada.

Anyway, I want to keep this thread positive. I prefer life in America to Canada, but Canada is a free and prosperous country and I hope they remain free and become more prosperous in the future. If I didn't live in America, Canada would be my second choice. (Psst, don't tell 'em, but people in the rest of the world can't tell the difference. It's Germans and Austrians to us.)

[NorthOf45]

... because all we hear from them are the loudmouths like that one lady (witch) pol up there.

Unfortuneately, that is what happens when the majority of the media is left-leaning. Myself and other Canucks try to post what positive items we can. However, they don't generate the interest that the negative media does.

[drtom]

It actually does happen quite frequently. In the West, BC firefighters helped out with the California fires last year while BC Hydro crews often go into Washington State and Oregon to help after a Pacific storm. Telus (their phone company) helped bring up the system just last year after a storm. When I visit our Pacific Northwest office, I often see some Western Canadian utility there.

In fact, it is such a common occurrence that it hardly makes the news.

And, of course, North is right: nice deeds don't make the headlines. But one deranged b*tch with an asinine comment and all hell breaks loose.

[Joe Boucher]

We all cheered these electric workers as conquering heros after many days in summer heat here in Florida. For days we all wanted to cry or scream in frustration. Then when electric came we all wanted to dance and cry happyness.
On anothrer note, Florida Power and Light has got to be as pathetic an organization as is out there.
The big bosses got rid of a sizeable amount of their continuing maintenance like tree trimming then voted themselves multimillion dollar bonuses.
The f.p.l. management should be in jail.