Line Crews Battle Frozen Conditions

Downtown Dandridge after Monday’s Ice Storm
Staff Photo by Jeff Depew

Ice has proven to be seriously problematic for Appalachian Electric Cooperative crews that have been working around the clock to keep the lights on in Jefferson County homes since the onset of the powerful storm Monday morning, February 16, 2015. Mitch Cain, Director of Member Services for Appalachian Electric, said that the crews have been fighting an uphill battle. As of mid day Tuesday, around 3300 customers were without power, with about 1700 of those being in Jefferson County. Hamblen County was also heavily impacted with around 1100 being without power and Grainger and Sevier Counties fairing a little better.

Cain said that downed trees has caused around 99% of the problems concerning outages. The Piedmont community was hit hard, as were homes south of the river, where the foliage is thicker, but no area escaped unscathed. Rather than having widespread outages that impact multiple homes, the impact has been more localized, affecting five, ten or twenty homes at a time. Cain stated that as soon as one group of homes comes back online, another tree knocks out another group of customers. While snow can be troublesome for the linemen, ice is much more formidable. One inch of ice can add 500 pounds to a tree limb, according to Cain. And, while working with electricity is always dangerous, icy conditions only compound the danger to crews.

Appalachian Electric has instigated their mutual aid agreement and expect three crews from Kentucky and one from Georgia to arrive Tuesday afternoon. Even with the extra hands, Cain still expects that it will take until late Wednesday to totally get the power back on for customers. “ We hate to say that we don’t expect to be totally back online until late tomorrow, but we want to give our customers the opportunity to go to friend’s or family member’s homes, if they can safely do so. We are working diligently, around the clock, to restore power and will continue to do so until every customer is restored.”

With temperatures not expected to rise above the freezing mark and additional light snow a possibility for Wednesday, Appalachian Electric crews will have several challenging days ahead. Cain is concerned that Thursday’s predicted record lows will also be a load and balance issue but he is confident that they have the capacity to meet the needs that will come with the frigid temperatures. In the meantime, Appalachian Electric is asking for patience while their line crews battle the results of Monday’s storm and request that the community check on loved ones, friends and neighbors to make sure that everyone is doing fine. Those that need assistance can call EMA at 865-471-9040.

As with any emergency situation, the most important issue is safety. Cain was complimentary of customer who have called in regarding the loss of power. “They have all been concerned for our employees that have been out in icy weather and patient as we work to restore power in areas that have been affected. It is good feeling to know that you live and work in such a supportive, considerate and caring community and Appalachian Electric Cooperative is certainly appreciative.”