Page 26 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2018

COASTNOTES
Lends a Hand
in Puerto Rico
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photos courtesy of Mississippi Power
Mississippi Power trucks and crew hit the ground running to restore power in Puerto Rico.
ast year Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico with its 150-miles-per-hour winds and torrential rain, leaving the
island’s inhabitants with little to no power, clean water, food or cell phone service.
The people of South Mississippi knew the true devastation a hurricane could bring. With the memories of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath in their minds, executives at Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of the Southern Company, knew what they had to do when they received a request for help from the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.
Along with other members of the Southern Company, Mississippi Power sent a team of 10 to help restore power to the island. Matt Ball, an engineering supervisor from Hattiesburg, served as a team leader during the restoration efforts.
The crew flew into Ponce port, which is also where the trucks and equipment were coming
in by barge. From there, they drove about an hour and a half to Mayagüez, one of the largest cities on the island.
“We were welcomed by people standing along the streets waving and thanking us for coming to help, which is something we hadn’t expected,” said Ball. “Bringing hope to the people of Puerto Rico really didn’t set in for us until we made it there and saw how excited everyone was to see us.”
When they arrived, the destruction was still severe, even in the more populated areas where most of the debris cleanup had been completed. “In larger cities the power had already been restored, but as we ventured into the more rural areas it was clear there was still a lot of work to be done,” Ball recalled.
The Mississippi Power team worked mainly in the Maricao area, which is a little more than 20 miles outside of Mayagüez. They were assigned a circuit out of a substation that primarily feeds communication towers
on the mountaintops and some residential homes. Restoration progress was not at the rate they were accustomed to back home due to the terrain of the land and the challenge of not having their usual resources.
Despite the challenges, the team
was dedicated to bringing power back to the families of Puerto Rico. After 60 days of hard work, their task was completed. “In this case we had the resources and experience to help those in need, and the people of Puerto Rico were so appreciative,” Ball said. “We left the job as we would have left a power line in front of our own homes — with trimmed back trees and strong connections that we know will last.”
26 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • June 2018
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