Dominion Power 2011 Annual Report Download - page 10

/ Dominion Resources / 2011 Summary Annual Report /
During the late evening hours on Friday,
August 26, Hurricane Irene made
landfall in North Carolina and began
winding its way through Dominion
Virginia Power’s service area, bringing
down trees and power lines in its path.
Over the next 30 hours the storm
would take to exit our region, more
than 1.2 million customers would lose
electricity. In Dominion Virginia Power’s
102-year history, only Hurricane Isabel
in 2003 had a larger impact.
By mid-day Monday, Dominion had
completed its damage assessment
and had restored service to about
half of the affected customers. The
next six days would require the more
arduous undertaking of returning
electric service to areas with the most
damage. In the Richmond area, for
instance, which had sustained winds
of 40-plus miles per hour for 17 hours,
more than 75 percent of customers
experienced power loss, as well as
some of the most extreme damage.
Daniel K. Neighbors, Jr., a lineman
based in East Richmond, answered the
call of duty, putting in 14–16-hour days
to ensure that all Dominion customers
had their lights back on. “The biggest
thing is helping someone,” he said.
“Giving back is what it’s all about.”
Neighbors was one of 7,000 line,
patrol and support personnel,
including 3,100 mutual aid and tree
crews from more than 20 different
utilities and contract companies, who
joined the restoration effort. Overall,
they repaired damage at 35,000 work
locations and restored service to all
customers in about a week.
In the wake of Hurricane Irene, thousands mobilized
to restore power to 1.2 million customers.
“ The biggest
thing is helping
someone.
Giving back
is what it’s
all about.”
Dominion lineman
Daniel K. Neighbors, Jr.