Otter Tail Power Company crews return from East Coast

Seventeen Otter Tail Power Company linemen, service representatives and mechanics returned from Huntington, New York, in three digger derricks, four bucket trucks, a mechanic repair truck and two pickups. They assisted National Grid, the service provider for Long Island Power Authority, with disaster recovery in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, joining more than 60,000 electrical workers in the effort.

According to Dan Wynn, Otter Tail Power Company supervisor of operations and training, who also made the trip, restoring power was an extraordinary effort under extreme conditions for all who lent a hand.

“With the state of disrepair, getting work orders and materials was difficult,” said Wynn. “Our crews primarily repaired distribution lines and individual lines to homes and set broken poles.”

Gerry Bailey, Otter Tail Power Company foreman for this restoration effort, said that they quickly had to acclimate to their new living conditions.

“We started our efforts in Bethpage, Long Island, sleeping in our trucks,” said Bailey. “We got to sleep in tents on November 6 until strong winds forced our evacuation. The next day brought heavy blowing snow as we moved to Huntington, New York.”

Hurricane Sandy caused more outages than Hurricanes Katrina, Andrew and Isaac, more than any storm in the nation’s history.

Dean Larson, Otter Tail Power Company lead lineman from Oakes, North Dakota, said that when disaster like this strikes, restoring power as quickly as possible is what it’s about in his line of work. “Sure, I’m a lineman. But I have a home and a family, too. That’s what’s important. We were out there to get the lights on for people like you and me.”

When Otter Tail Power Company crews left for home on November 13, 80 companies had restored power to about 99 percent of those who had been without it.

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