Two Weeks After Fern: Video Tribute to the Response Crews
When severe storms roll into a service territory, lineworkers, tree crews and support personnel come together to help to restore power and rebuild infrastructure. Case in point: Winter Storm Fern brought historic ice accumulation, heavy snow and freezing temperatures to much of the South and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States in late January, resulting in the largest mutual assistance restoration effort that the nation has seen since Superstorm Sandy, according to the Edison Electric Institute (EEI).
With outages peaking at more than 1 million customers, more than 65,000 workers from at least 44 states faced dangerously cold temperatures, treacherous roads and falling trees and branches as they worked around the clock to restore power to customers able to receive it. EEI recently released a new video recognizing their service, which you can view below.
“Heroic efforts from the tens of thousands of mutual assistance workers who were mobilized ahead of Winter Storm Fern helped minimize outages and ensure power could be restored quickly where it was safe to do so,” said EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney. “Throughout the storm, we were in close and regular contact with our government and industry collaborators, and we are deeply grateful for their partnership as we undertook this historic restoration.”
To see more photos, view the Hurricane Fern page on the EEI website.
Let's Put Your Crew in the Spotlight!
If you worked on Winter Storm Fern and would like to share your photos or descriptions of your time working this storm, email Amy Fischbach, Head of Content for T&D World, who will be working on a feature story on this storm for a future issue.
EEI Releases New Video Honoring the Field Workforce
By the Numbers
- Winter Storm Fern swept across dozens of states, impacting more than 200 million Americans and leading to more than 1 million outages.
- The storm triggered one of the largest mutual assistance activations in U.S. history, with more than 65,000 workers from at least 44 states mobilizing to help with preparation and response.
- By activating mutual assistance networks early, crews were prepositioned ahead of the storm and able to begin damage assessments and restoration work as soon as it was safe to do so.