The following is an open letter penned by 25th Assembly District Representative Paul Tittl.
As a State Representative, I frequently have the opportunity to speak with visitors to the Capitol from all over the world. It is not uncommon for them to comment about how friendly people are in Wisconsin. Recently, Wisconsin had an opportunity to export some of our Badger kindness.
On Wednesday afternoon, September 28th, 2022 Hurricane Ian ripped the coast of Florida causing billions of dollars of damage and leaving 2.7 million residential and business customers without power.
Two days earlier as the storm was approaching, the Florida Municipal Electric Association put out the call for assistance in restoring the inevitable loss of power. The Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin (MEUW) quickly swung into action, organizing electric line crews and members from 23 public power communities across Wisconsin, including Manitowoc.
Founded in 1928, MEUW provides service, advocacy, and safety initiatives for municipal utilities in Wisconsin and coordinates mutual aid to restore power following disasters. In the event of natural disasters like a hurricane, it is especially critical to have a strong mutual aid network.
The crew and equipment coordinated on such a sudden notice included 44 electric line workers (3 from Manitowoc) along with equipment; a fleet of bucket trucks and digger derricks. As such, the organized effort was MEUW’s largest out-of-state deployment. And on Thursday, September 29th at 7am, the organized crew began the trek down to New Smyrna Beach, south of Daytona Beach.
When asked how they planned to help, Ben Davison, Lineman of Manitowoc Public Utilities explained what the workers would be doing, “restoring power, getting poles put back up, wire put back up, fixing services, just being there so power can be restored to people’s houses.”
Nationally, municipals planned to send out 750 total workers. However, the call to action was so immediate and there was so much help, that some workers got called off. Some of those already en route to Florida!
Troy Adams, General Manager of Manitowoc Public Utilities, indicated this was not the first time Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin has been involved in the aftermath of a hurricane in Florida. Since his 14 years of experience in Minneapolis and 2 ½ years in Manitowoc, he has overseen many crews sent down to Florida after a call for mutual aid was delivered.
“This particular time restoration was quick. Some of it is luck because the damage in the communities we went to help was minimum.” Adams said. “There was a lot of flooding, not a lot of things torn down. Not always the case, and things were will coordinated.”
Speaking with Kyle Oudenhoven, Linemen of Manitowoc Public Utilities about his firsthand account of the relief efforts he was particularly distraught with the amount of disaster and flooding damage done in the area.
“A lot of flooding, a lot of gas stations were closed so we were very limited on our diesel fuel supply,” said Oudenhoven. “There were random cars floating around in the ditches and water in a lot of people’s homes and businesses.”
Recounting a particular section where he restored power to a trailer park home, Oudenhoven added “there was obviously water inside their homes and they were still living in their home.” He said “When the power turned on, you could hear the pump start up and they were pumping water directly out of their house.”
A devastation the two Manitowoc lineman couldn’t imagine being in themselves, they both endured and quickly assimilated to the unique vegetation and climate they were in. Having only been on vacation to Florida and never in the depths of the woods like this, the two enjoyed the larger than life animals they crossed paths with, including a spider the size of their hands! And who knew there were armadillos in Florida?
One of Davison’s most key takeaways of being down in Florida was how different the poles are set down as compared to here in Wisconsin. “It was cool to see how the utilities down there installed their poles.” Said Davison. In Florida, because of the sandier soil and saturation of water, poles were installed using an air compressor, rather than an auger, pushing air into the ground to deter it from caving in.
Even in the midst of disaster, Floridians suffering moisture damage to their homes showed kindness with what little they had. The people down there were very appreciative and supportive of the workers. They gifted all sorts of treats, cookies, and food to keep them going throughout the day.
After spending 5, 16 hour days aiding in the restoration of power and repairing damages, Wisconsin crews returned safely home to family and friends on Thursday, October 6th after a week of being away from home.
Debriefing with Bob Borle, Electric Operations Manager of Manitowoc Public Utilities he said “We’re here to help, doesn’t matter if it’s Florida, we’re here to help.”
The professionalism, work ethic and dedication exemplified by MEUW, and Manitowoc workers is truly inspiring. Such compassionate gestures as shown by the people of Florida does not go unnoticed either. Reflecting on the contribution of everyone involved reminds us that we should help those in need. The good news is that we don’t need to wait for a hurricane or travel out-of-state to exude kindness. Rather, we can follow their example right in our own neighborhoods. So, today, when you flip the light switch in your home, be mindful of the heroic and outstanding work done by Municipal Utility employees!
