MidAmerican Energy Co., Des Moines, Iowa, employees who were deployed to the eastern U.S. to assist with utility damage and power outages caused by Hurricane Sandy recently returned home. As many as 8.5 million homes and businesses lost power when the storm made landfall Oct. 29.
MidAmerican Energy crews provided restoration assistance to Central Hudson Gas and Electric and New York State Electric and Gas in New York for approximately two weeks. A little more than one week into the trip, crews experienced more outages when the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy were impacted by a nor’easter that included rain, snow and winds of up to 55 mph.
“The hard work and commitment of our employees to restore power and help these communities in their efforts to return to normal have been greatly appreciated,” said Bill Fehrman, president and CEO, MidAmerican Energy. “MidAmerican Energy is pleased to be able to help during this time of need, and we thank all employees who supported these efforts.”
On Oct. 27, a crew of MidAmerican Energy employees left Iowa and was dispatched to provide emergency restoration service to areas between Poughkeepsie and Albany, N.Y. The crew was comprised of the following MidAmerican Energy employees:
- Wes Royal, supervisor, service operations, Red Oak, Iowa
- David Franklin, safety supervisor, Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Luc Martel, garage mechanic, Rock Island, Ill.
- Kevin Williams, crew leader electric, Red Oak, Iowa
- Pat Garrison, crew leader electric, Avoca, Iowa
- Reggie LePorte, lineman apprentice, Shenandoah, Iowa
- Mike Oldenkamp, crew leader electric, Sheldon, Iowa
- Tom Blain, journeyman lineman, Sheldon, Iowa
- Paul Acres, lineman apprentice, Sheldon, Iowa
- Doug Egli, crew leader electric, Fort Dodge, Iowa
- Larry Harms, journeyman lineman, Fort Dodge, Iowa
- Chris Dettmann, journeyman lineman, Fort Dodge, Iowa
- Steve Jens, crew leader electric, Audubon, Iowa
- Darrin Skow, journeyman lineman, Charter Oak, Iowa
Troy Hummel, journeyman lineman, Cherokee, Iowa On Oct. 30, a second crew of MidAmerican Energy employees traveled to New York to provide additional assistance. The crew was comprised of the following MidAmerican Energy employees:
- Shaune Osborne, scheduling and planning coordinator, Des Moines, Iowa
- Clay Youngblut, distribution design technician, Waterloo, Iowa
- Kevin Derby, crew leader electric, Knoxville, Iowa
- Todd Myers, journeyman lineman, Knoxville, Iowa
- Dustin Mull, journeyman lineman, Knoxville, Iowa
- Rick Carroll, crew leader electric, Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Ken DeGroot, journeyman lineman, Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Jim Carroll, journeyman lineman, Council Bluffs, Iowa
- Dennis Fick, crew leader electric, Des Moines, Iowa
- Kyle Hageman, journeyman lineman, Des Moines, Iowa
- Brian Baber, journeyman lineman, Des Moines, Iowa
- Dave Shultz, journeyman lineman, Iowa City, Iowa
- Robin Rowley, journeyman lineman, Iowa City, Iowa
- Matt Rittenmeyer, journeyman lineman, Iowa City, Iowa
Utility crews from across the U.S. were called to assist utilities in areas impacted by the storm, including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and 12 other eastern states.
In addition to the 29 MidAmerican Energy employees, MidAmerican Energy released more than 200 contract lineworkers and tree crew members to provide assistance to utility companies in the East.
