When severe weather strikes and the lights go out, utilities often provide mutual assistance. Through teamwork and dedication, they then join forces to restore power and make repairs.
Case in point: after a 1/4 to 1/2 in. of ice covered Austin, crews from nearby areas traveled to the city to assist the line crews. Austin Energy reported about 113,000 outages due to ice accumulation on power lines, utility poles and tree limbs. The outages were not due to the statewide grid issue, according to the company.
Crews had to drive on icy roadways and work on frozen equipment to make repairs. In some cases, the power went out again--even on the same circuits they had just restored--due to falling ice and tree limbs.
On Twitter, Austin Energy gave a shout out to its mutual assistance partners for their help. As of Feb. 2, the utility had more than 100 crews in service, including several from neighboring utilities that have responded to the request for mutual aid. For example, New Braunfels Utilities sent crews to help get the lights back on in Austin.
"Public utilities often help each other out in times of need. Just last fall, Austin Energy sent crews to Florida to support Jacksonville Electric Association with hurricane recovery. We are proud to be part of this mutual aid system to assist communities," the utility stated on Twitter.
