Lineworker Appreciation Day: Recognizing the crews behind a historic restoration effort
When severe storms moved through our service territory over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, they left behind widespread damage and more than 260,000 customer outages.
What followed was one of the largest restoration efforts in PPL Electric’s history.
As we observe Lineworker Appreciation Day on July 10, we want to recognize the thousands of employees, contractors and mutual assistance personnel who worked around the clock to restore power safely and efficiently to the communities we serve.
While customers often see the bucket trucks and crews making repairs in their neighborhoods, the restoration effort extends far beyond what happens along roadsides and in backyards. Lineworkers worked alongside forestry crews, damage assessors, logistics specialists, dispatchers, mechanics, safety professionals and many others to coordinate a complex response across our service territory.
More than 3,000 personnel supported restoration efforts during this event, making it the largest restoration workforce PPL Electric has assembled since Hurricane Sandy.
Crews repaired broken poles, replaced damaged equipment, rebuilt sections of power lines and navigated challenging conditions to bring customers back online. At the same time, support teams coordinated staging areas, delivered materials, assessed damage and worked to ensure crews had the resources needed to perform their jobs safely.
We are especially grateful to the mutual assistance crews who traveled from across the United States and Canada to help our communities recover. Their willingness to leave home and support customers they have never met reflects the strong partnership that exists across the electric industry.
Restoration work can be demanding, requiring long hours, specialized skills and an unwavering commitment to safety. During major storm events, lineworkers and support personnel often work day and night until every customer who can be restored is restored.
As this restoration effort comes to a close, we want to thank every member of the team who played a role in helping our customers recover.
On Lineworker Appreciation Day — and every day — we recognize and appreciate the dedication, professionalism and service of the men and women who help keep the lights on and respond when our communities need them most.
Thank you, lineworkers.
For lineworkers like Kyle Hammaker, the primary focus each day is to keep everyone safe at every work site and make sure everyone returns home each night the same way they arrived for work that day.