For Release: 02/02/2018
Crews making steady progress as part of restoration efforts in Puerto Rico
Local residents embrace help from WPS, We Energies
Nearly three weeks after their arrival in Puerto Rico, a group of more than 60 field employees from Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) and We Energies continues to work diligently to restore power in Puerto Rico in areas that remain damaged by Hurricane Maria.
WPS and We Energies crews have been working in the San Juan area since arriving in Puerto Rico on Jan. 13, and have been able to restore service to several neighborhoods. Their efforts, as part of the nearly 1,500 electric power industry workers that arrived in Puerto Rico in January, have increased the number of customers who have regained power to more than 1 million since Hurricane Maria made landfall in September.
"With all the challenges of tight spaces and jungle-type vegetation, the crews have become very innovative," said Bruce Sasman, an area manager for We Energies based in the Appleton area. "We are very well suited to the work we are doing here."
Determined to restore power as safely and as quickly as possible, the crews have started each day at 5 a.m., arriving at designated work sites by 6:45 a.m. Crews make repairs for approximately 12 hours before returning equipment and materials to a staging area and participating in a daily debriefing. Though the hours and work are daunting, their tireless efforts have earned the praise and respect of workers from Con Edison, an energy company from New York City. Con Edison crews have worked side-by-side with the WPS and We Energies crews since their arrival.
"People think we really do a good job," Sasman said. "People really want to work with us. They hold us in very high regard, and that's really nice to hear."
In some instances, Puerto Rico's terrain has made repairs challenging. Last week, crews needed four days to replace two miles of downed wire in a mountainous area. In San Juan, some utility poles and wires have been inaccessible from the road, forcing crews to come up with new repair strategies.
"There’s been a lot of crane setting of poles, which we don't do any of back in Northeast Wisconsin," said Steve Van Campenhout, a WPS operations supervisor based in the Marinette area. "People have opened up their homes so we can get equipment through and into the backyards to get at the utility poles."
In spite of the obstacles, an outpouring of support from the residents of Puerto Rico has served as motivation to help the crews push through long, tiring days. Whether it has been a simple high five, a handwritten note or a visit from the mayor of San Juan, the crews have been overwhelmed by the appreciation that has been shown to them.
"As soon as the power goes on, and we energize an area, we have fireworks going off, we hear car horns, people are clapping and yelling," Van Campenhout said. "They come out and they hug you."
"You turn the town back on after four months of no power, and they are so giving," Sasman said. "It's hard to really put into words, but I would say it's somewhat emotional that people are so happy to see us."
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