UPDATE:
Just days after the call for help in Oklahoma, a MidAmerican Energy crew now are in northwest Louisiana to help restore power after Winer Storm Fern caused heavy damage there.
The utility workers, including some from the Quad Cities, traveled Sunday night to the Shreveport area to assist Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO), MidAmerican announced in a news release this afternoon, Jan. 26. The 36 MidAmerican employees were requested to help there after their assistance was not need in Oklahoma.
“We’re grateful that southern Oklahoma was spared the worst of the storm,” MidAmerican’s Nick Nation said in the Monday release. “But other communities were hit hard, and our crews were nearby and ready to respond. They’re now working in northwest Louisiana to help restore power as quickly and safely as possible.”
EARLIER:
Dozens of line and support crew members from MidAmerican Energy, including some from the Quad Cities, headed south this past weekend to assist the electric utility OG&E in southern Oklahoma.
On Friday, Jan. 23, the Des Moines-based MidAmericanEnergy announced that 36 employees were en route to assist OG&E in responding to what was forecast to be a major winter storm with icing that will likely threaten its electric system.
The MidAmerican line crews, along with support, safety and supervisory staff, departed Friday morning from locations across Iowa as well as the Illinois Quad Cities. They were initially sent to Ardmore, Oklahoma, located north of the Texas state line.
On Saturday night, Jan. 24, emergency officials in Oklahoma said the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remained activated due to the ongoing storm. According to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) there were about 1,300 power outages statewide.
Area hospitals had reported 11 related injuries, the state’s Department of Public Safety had reported dozens of abandoned vehicles on the roadways as well as 11 hit and run accidents, 23 injury accidents and 136 motorist assist calls.
“The local electric utility in Oklahoma is trying to put resources in place before the storm hits, so outside crews and vehicles can get there safely and be ready to respond faster,” Nick Nation, MidAmerican senior vice president of delivery, said in the company news release. “I know our team will work safely and efficiently, and we’re proud they agreed to step up for what could be a very challenging assignment.”
Mr. Nation added “When a weather disaster strikes or is anticipated, it’s important for electric utilities to get outside help quickly and we want to do what we can to assist.”
The company did not yet know Friday when they would be returning.
The coordinated response is normal practice among members of the Midwest Mutual Assistance Group, of which MidAmerican and OG&E belong. The group is part of a larger nationwide utility alliance that assists each other during emergencies.
MidAmerican, which serves the bistate Quad Cities, serves a total of 829,000 electric customers in Iowa, Illinois and South Dakota, and 803,000 natural gas customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota.
