A&N Electric Cooperative crews and personnel responded quickly to damages created by an Aug. 4 tornado that created extensive damage on Smith Island, Md.
A waterspout that came ashore damaged more than a dozen homes and broke several electric utility poles.
Part of the roof of the Island Time Bed & Breakfast sits in a nearby yard after tornado on Smith Island, Md. (Photo By: Jay Diem)
Cooperative personnel on nearby Tangier Island were able to respond within an hour, isolated the damage and restored power to the majority of the island with a generator located there.
As of the next morning, about 60 island residents remained without power due to the damage.
In addition to the line crews, other cooperative personnel traveled to Smith Island to assist residents as they begin to clean up the storm damage.
Cooperative personnel were able to fully restore power within 48 hours of the initial damage.
While the restoration was relatively swift, the extent of the damage and the location of the damaged power lines led to a longer restoration effort for the last 60 members.
“Some of the power line damage is located out in the marsh, making its accessibility more difficult for our guys to make repairs,” said Joe Cataldo, A&N Electric Cooperative Vice President of Construction and Operations.
“We’re taking the opportunity to shift those lines closer to the nearby road which will make them easier to access and help any outage restorations in the future.”
Read more at the NRECA news website.
—Report by Jay Diem, Coordinator, Communications and Public Relations, A&N Electric Cooperative