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HURRICANE RITA

Sam Houston Electric Cooperative continues its Hurricane Rita system inspection and removal of damaged powerline equipment.

 According to Bernard Henderson, Plant Engineer and Construction Manager Bill Townley, Sam Houston EC is on schedule to complete this monumental task this spring. More than 3,400 miles of distribution line were damaged by the storm, as well as 2,300 poles.

Our contractor crews are in the field picking up damaged transformers, regulators and capacitors," Henderson said. "At this time, we're halfway through this process. Inspection crews continue noting where the damaged transformers are, which is speeding up the process.

Henderson said more than 500 transformers have been picked up and expects contractor crews to remove approximately 200-300 more as they make their way through the service territory.

 Members who lived in areas subject to the cleanup received an insert in their January bills detailing the work that would take place near their homes and businesses. Contract workers are moving through the Cooperative’s territory as efficiently as possible.

	Woodville Operations Supervisor Mike Garess hangs a new flag above the Tyler County Courthouse Thursday, marking the symbolic completion of the restoration process.

The cleanup effort has picked up quite a bit in the last couple of weeks since we have more people in the field," Townley said. "Right now, we have removed more than 90 percent of danger trees that were affecting our primary distribution lines. Any trees that were leaning or had hanging limbs over our distribution lines have been removed. We should complete this task within a week."

Townley emphasized the Cooperative does not remove trees that are near homes or service drops unless they threaten the primary distribution system. Members are responsible for removing trees on their property.

Crews continue to clean up broken poles, scrap wire and insulators around the Cooperative’s 4,000 square mile territory.

"As far as material clean up, we’ve completed 42 percent," Townley said. "Our inspectors have looked at 60 percent of our lines. As soon as the inspections are complete, we will be one step closer to restoring the system back to it pre-Rita condition."

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Oct. 14 - Noon - Flag raising marks end of restoration process