Gwen Kautz, Dawson Public Power District General Manager
By Gwen Kautz, Dawson PPD General Manager
gkautz (at) dawsonpower.com
308-324-2386
It’s hard to believe those two ice storms happened 10 years ago. So many memories came flooding back as we prepared to write the story. In the flurry of long days and nights, I wondered what my job was before the ice storms. Like many others at Dawson PPD, our regular duties were shoved to the side as we prioritized the effort to restore service.
Customer service employees turned into meal planners and errand runners. Their days generally started at 6:00 a.m. and ended around 8:00 p.m. Each morning, the office assisted in putting on a big breakfast for 250+ hearty eaters. It was hard to keep up with coffee, too. Breakfast was cleared only to move into lunch preparation for three weeks straight. What I loved about these people was their thoughtfulness of the guys working outside. In an effort to cheer the linemen up toward the end of this long task, they opted to drop surprises in the brown lunch bags – from plastic snakes or spiders to stickers and notes of encouragement.
Ice clings to a pole near Elwood after the 2006-2007 ice storms.
There were so many other people who were part of the story. Those who had power sheltered family and friends who didn’t. On a daily basis our customers baked cookies, muffins or banana bread and offered hot chocolate or coffee. They sent wonderful thank you notes to our office. Linemen would return to their trucks and find goodies in the seat.
Our own extended family of employees’ wives and children made sacrifices because their husband or dad needed to work during a favorite holiday for families. They were wonderfully understanding. I took a phone call or two from a wife, even a mother, who wanted to know how things were going for the linemen. And as always, there was always an offer from them, wondering how they could help.
I would be remiss in not recognizing the value of our statewide association during times like this. Nebraska Rural Electric Association often plays a key role when it comes to the formulation and management of mutual aid agreements with other systems. Systems unaffected by the storm can send their linemen to help us but they sure can’t do it if their customers have to foot the bill. A mutual aid agreement defines the parameters for assistance, including safety and resource coordination. Not only did we have Nebraska systems help, but several systems from South Dakota played important roles, too.
Last, and certainly not least, were the customers who helped our linemen in the field. While the guys kept track of who helped so we could send thank you notes, the list was long. Your tractors pulled many of our trucks out. Some of you cleared roads ahead of our crews and others loaded linemen and equipment on four-wheelers to get them where they needed to go. Most of all, our customers provided patience during this difficult time compounded by holiday demands.
None of us want to see storms like this come through, but if there was any good that came of it, we experienced a strong sense of team and dedication. If it happens again, we know we will all pull together.
January 2017