Replacing downed power poles in the wake of a storm is business as usual for most electrical contractors. Designing a custom solution and completing the job in less than two weeks while working in 7 ft (2 m) of water is a different story.

But despite the immense challenges and tight time frame, Michels Power, a division of Brownsville, Wisconsin, U.S.-based Michels Corp., made the extraordinary replacement of four 161-kV transmission poles in Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S., look like just another job.

When high winds brought down the four poles on Aug. 18, the owner — a major Midwest utility — put out a call for help.With the broken poles under 7 ft of water, due to the lingering effects of the Missouri River's flooding earlier this summer, Michels Power answered the call and collaborated with the utility to design and construct four self-supporting structures.

A helicopter transported the custom structures from an abandoned stretch of interstate highway to the site, where two boats waited to help guide each structure into place. Michels' linemen rapidly completed the rest of the installation to safely restore the line to full capacity by Aug. 31.

Due to the amount of flooding, it could have been weeks or even months before the water levels subsided enough to undertake a traditional pole replacement process.

For more information, visit www.michels.us.