Linemen work to restore power in wake of Michael

ALBANY — They sat on the ground alongside their utility vehicle, wearing the haggard looks of men who have put in a hard day’s work.

An Albany Utilities crew comprising nine-year Albany veteran Brad Nash and two newcomers — Dallas Rogers and Elisha Harrell, who are new hires in Albany but with experience in Camilla and Thomasville, respectively — was coming to an end of another 14-hour shift Saturday. They pulled in at the parking lot of an old abandoned convenience store on Madison Avenue, waiting for some of their fellow crewmen.

They wore their weariness like a second suit of clothing.

“We’re supposed to be working 12-hour shifts, every day, but they usually turn into 13- and 14-hour shifts,” Nash said. “We’ve all been through this kind of thing before, so this is nothing new to us. There are no real surprises.”

There is, however, the reality that the work ahead will stretch on into the next week.

“I’d never seen such devastation like Albany had during the January storms, but in both cases (Jan. 2 and Jan. 22, 2017), it was restricted to a general area,” Rogers said. “This time, though, it’s so widespread. The whole county, the whole city, this whole region was impacted.

The linemen said they were proud to do their part to bring relief to the people who have gone days without power. And they even said they’ve grown immune to the complaints that they inevitably hear from frustrated citizens.

“It doesn’t really effect us,” Harrell said. “We’ve heard it before. It’s kind of expected.”

Not that there isn’t an irony to such complaints.

“We are proud to have the opportunity to serve our community, but sometimes it can get to you,” Nash said. “I guess the worst thing is going out here and working 12 to 14 hours a day to get other people’s lights turned back on, then going home to no electricity.”