February 2013 Nor’easter

On February 7th a powerful storm ripped across the Northeastern United States, including New York, Maine, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. With record snowfall and hurricane-force wind gusts, it left behind uprooted trees and downed power lines. By the time the storm, dubbed ‘Nemo’ had subsided, six states declared themselves in a state of emergency and nearly one million people were without power.

At 8:30 pm on February 6th Arctic Arrow Powerline Group responded to a U.S. utility call for a support crew to be in place and by the next morning 15 of our PLTs and apprentices were on route to assist.

The team arrived in Boston via Toronto and immediately set off to get instructions.

“There were about 150 trucks at each staging area and about 10-15 staging areas across the affected states,” says Foreman Sam Dooley, “Our group split into two crews with another power company and we worked for seven days, mostly in Connecticut, pulling trees off lines and cars.”

There were three British Columbia companies that came to assist, as well as countless power companies from the U.S., and it was a very organized and much appreciated relief effort.

“It was a good experience. People were really grateful; they thanked us for coming all the way from Canada to help.”

It wasn’t all work and no play for the crew. They took an extra day at the end of the trip to do a little sightseeing in New York City, checking out the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and Ground Zero.

It was a trip of many ‘firsts’ says Dooley.

“It was our first time responding to a call for an Eastern storm, our first support crew under the new company, and the first time, for many of us, to explore New York City.”