Restoring power, hope to Puerto Rico

Feb. 26--Tracie Witter won't forget the sound of humming generators anytime soon.

As one of the PPL Electric Utilities employees who recently traveled to Puerto Rico, she heard quite a few of them in villages left without power following Hurricane Maria that roared through the U.S. territory in September.

"A lot of people had generators that they were using, and they were explaining how they spent a lot of money each day on gasoline," she said.

The PPL spokeswoman saw firsthand how PPL crews helped to restore power to the hurricane-ravaged island -- and thus, cut down on residents' reliance on generators.

Tom Snyder and Brian Matweecha, both of McAdoo, and Nick Zukowsky of Tamaqua were among the local employees who made the trip to help.

Witter, of Montoursville, said the local men have been working with fellow PPL linemen in the Caguas region. Located in the central mountain region, it was hit hard by Hurricane Maria.

One day, they were able to restore electricity to a church's day care center. On another day, a nursing home got its power back.

"They also restored power to a school," Witter said. "The kindergarten students were so precious. They were dancing and giving our guys fist bumps. They also made them a card with their handprints."

Snyder said everyone has been great to the workers.

"We have a great crew. We work well together," he said. "It's been a cool experience to be a part of. Not too many people have the chance to experience something like this. The peak moment for me is when we restored power to a school. I have two small boys and I can relate to that moment."

Zukowsky said the experience was an eye-opener.

"I never expected to see such devastation," said the lineman. "I'm happy to use my skills to help people here."

He noted that the residents appreciate PPL's work and are eager to help in any way they can.

"We're happy to get the power back to them after so many months," he said.

Matweecha, manager of safety operations, said he's proud of the PPL workers.

"They've gone above and beyond here to make sure the people of Puerto Rico are getting their power back," he said. "My hat's off to them. They're working hard to stay safe while working in difficult terrain."

On Friday, President Donald Trump made additional disaster assistance available to Puerto Rico.

Witter recalled seeing PPL workers' trucks parked on narrow, one-lane roads in the region.

"The cars would just line up behind them. They would just wait. They didn't want to disrupt the workers," she said. "They were so grateful. They never once asked when the power would be restored."

The residents also gifted PPL crews with meals and beverages. They received hot coffee in the mornings, and for lunch, neighbors took turns cooking up pork and beans or chicken and beans. A 10-year-old girl brought soda -- with ice -- to workers. Everything was made with the help of generators.

"They were so gracious," Witter said.

Most of the PPL Electric Utilities contingent of nearly 40 workers and support personnel that arrived in Puerto Rico on Jan. 25 is about to be relieved by a new group of PPL workers.

According to information from the company, PPL was one of 18 investor-owned utilities in the mainland U.S. that recently helped in the restoration effort coordinated through the Edison Electric Institute. Unlike mutual assistance situations in the continental U.S., crews could not drive their equipment to where it was needed. PPL's bucket trucks and other vehicles went to Puerto Rico on barges that departed from Norfolk, Virginia, and Lake Charles, Louisiana.

PPL workers in Puerto Rico assisted the Salvation Army on Valentine's Day, helping to distribute supplies to local residents. PPL employees in Pennsylvania donated more than $10,000 for the Salvation Army's work in Caguas.

Contact the writer: jwhalen@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3592

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