Helping Hands: Local Linemen Help California Utilities | news
After torrential rain and winds around the New Year that left thousands without power in northern California, four linemen from the Columbia River People’s Utility District (CRPUD) headed down to help Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) restore power to the Central Valley support.
Local Columbia County troubleshooters helped restore power to California’s Central Valley.
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On Jan. 4, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency statewide to help mobilize responders and resources.
“California mobilized to protect people from the effects of the approaching storm,” Gov. Newsom said. “This state of emergency will allow the state to respond quickly as the storm develops and assist local officials in their ongoing response.”
Activating the state of emergency was critical for California to deal with this storm and other storms over the coming winter. The “atmospheric flow” storms from the Pacific Ocean that have hit California have strained the state’s flood preparations.
As part of that help, out-of-state utility workers, such as Jesse Hutchins and the three other line workers at the Columbia River PUD, were called in to lend their support. The four linemen began their 18-hour drive to Stockton on January 3rd. After a brief delay in Medford, they arrived in California on January 4th.
“We were held up in Medford because California wouldn’t let us in until an emergency was declared,” Hutchins said. “Once the emergency was declared, we could go to California.”
The linemen were also in California when some of the worst failures from sustained storms occurred in their entire time there. The crew worked primarily in the Napa area, which was also badly affected. According to Hutchins, there was “a lot of damage” in Napa and the North. The linemen helped out with typical repairs that occur during inclement weather.
“We replaced a mast, did a couple of underground services that went poorly because of the rain and replaced some cross arms, just your average storm gear,” Hutchins said.
According to Sacramento-based KCRA, 345,000 customers were without power as of Sunday, Jan. 8, at the height of their power outages. On the same day, California Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a request for a presidential emergency declaration to secure additional resources and personnel to combat the damage. Biden endorsed the proposal Monday, Jan. 9, which supports emergency relief.
These emergency hotlines are voluntary. According to Hutchins, there is a list of people who can respond to these situations, and if the linemen are unwilling or unable to leave, the next person on the list is asked.
Traveling to help local utilities is something the CRPUD has done before, but primarily in Oregon. Hutchins said they responded to calls in Eugene, Portland, West Oregon and Florence, but that it was “the first time CRPUD went to California and helped.”
As part of a mutual aid group, the CRPUD is now going further than before beyond its typical operational area.
The linemen returned from home on Thursday, January 12 after 10 days.
