Published: September 05, 2008 10:32 am            

PSO workers return the favor in hurricane zone

When the last ice storm racked the McAlester area, snapping poles and downing power lines, electrical companies from Louisiana were among those who sent crews to help.

Now, although the storm that had been Hurricane Gustav has now left the Gulf states, more than a million homes and businesses are still in the dark.

To help them get the lights back on, AEP/Public Service Co. of Oklahoma’s McAlester District has sent workers and equipment to Louisiana.

“Those folks came up and helped us during the ice storm of 2007,” said Frank Phillips, community affairs manager of AEP/PSO’s McAlester office.

“It’s part of a mutual assistance agreement,” he said. “Since we didn’t suffer significant damage from this storm, we’ll go down and help those people.”

AEP/PSO employees headed to Louisiana this week from the McAlester district, which stretches from Okmulgee to Broken Bow, Phillips said.

“We’re sending three three-man crews,” he said, with a truck for each crew.

In addition, “We’re sending six servicemen,” Phillips said. “They will work two to a truck.”

Also, two assessors, or engineers, will go in ahead of the linemen and servicemen to figure out what’s wrong and what needs to be done to fix it.

Two supervisors have also headed to Louisiana and a fleet mechanic from AEP/PSO went as well.

“He’ll be along to maintain the vehicles,” Phillips said.

Including the workers from the McAlester District, the company is sending down a total of 68 personnel, Phillips said.

Plans called for them to meet at Hugo and then head to south Louisiana. “They told them to be prepared to stay two weeks,” Phillips said.

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.

        

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