SHREVEPORT, La., Jan. 11, 2022 – On the heels of the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Laura, SWEPCO was quick to lend a hand to power restoration efforts when Hurricane Ida devasted south Louisiana.
SWEPCO’s efforts were recognized Tuesday with Edison Electric Institute’s Emergency Response Award. Four other operating companies of American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) were also honored by EEI for Hurricane Ida relief efforts.
Presented to EEI member companies, the Emergency Response Awards recognize recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI’s virtual winter Board of Directors meeting.
SWEPCO sent nearly 200 company and contract line and support personnel from three states to help Entergy Louisiana rebuild its power grid, which had been hit by 150 mph winds and severe flooding. Crews from SWEPCO’s Longview, Shreveport and Valley Districts worked in the New Orleans area, while those from Texarkana and Fayetteville assisted in Denham Springs.
“At the end of the day, it's about the joy of getting people's lights on in the same way as when resources come and help us,” said Shreveport Manager of Distribution System Mike Mathews.
For 10 days, SWEPCO employees and contractors performed thousands of hours of work under challenging conditions that included high temperatures, washed-out roads, and even alligators. Limited lodging resulted in workers sleeping in trucks, traveling multiple hours to and from accommodations and staying aboard a cruise ship.
A Sept. 21 Entergy assessment said Hurricane Ida damaged more than 30,500 distribution poles, nearly 6,000 transformers and 500 transmission structures.
After a natural disaster of that proportion, rebuilding required an army of skilled workers, and SWEPCO was ready to do its part.
“In the utility industry, providing mutual aid is not a matter of ‘if,’ but a matter of ‘when,’” said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Distribution Region Operations. “After Hurricane Laura, 3,500 workers from 15 states and Canada helped SWEPCO employees get the lights for our customers. This was our turn to help out another energy company’s customers.”
About Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO)
SWEPCO, an American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) company, serves more than 543,000 customers in northwest and central Louisiana, northeast Texas and the Texas Panhandle, and western Arkansas. SWEPCO’s headquarters are in Shreveport, La. News releases and other information about SWEPCO can be found at SWEPCO.com. Connect with us at Facebook.com/SWEPCO, Twitter.com/SWEPCOnews, Instagram.com/swepco, Youtube.com/SWEPCOtv, LinkedIn.com/company/swepco and SWEPCOConnections.com.
About American Electric Power (AEP)
American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s approximately 16,800 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 223,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 5,500 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com.
About Edison Electric Institute (EEI)
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for more than 220 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than ?65 international electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.