Secretary of State John Merrill awards Alabama Power, others for polling place help after Zeta
Hurricane Zeta will be remembered as one of the most destructive storms in Alabama history and for its late-season impact – days ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Zeta left many in the state without power, with companies executing a significant response to provide service to both those affected and polling locations for voters to safely cast their ballots. In acknowledgment of this multifaceted response from the public and private sectors, Secretary of State John Merrill on Wednesday presented six National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Medallion Awards “to recognize outstanding service and dedication to furthering the mission of NASS.” Merrill gave medallion awards to Alabama Power, PowerSouth, the Alabama Rural Electric Association, the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, and the Office of Information Technology for their efforts to ensure polling locations had power and that Alabama would have a smooth and successful election. “We are incredibly appreciative of the leadership of Alabama Power, and all organizations recognized today, who stepped up during the state’s time of need to protect our democracy. These brave men and women worked tirelessly around the clock to see that every eligible Alabamian had the ability to successfully cast his or her ballot during the general election,” Merrill said. “On behalf of all the Alabama Power team, it’s an honor to receive this award alongside the other organizations that serve our state,” said Alabama Power CEO Mark Crosswhite. “The damage from Zeta was the third-worst in our company history, requiring a strategic, multiday restoration effort. We appreciate the partnership with the Secretary of State’s office, election officials across the state, and the work of all the utility workers who assisted to restore service to polling locations, ensuring Alabamians had the opportunity to exercise their right to vote.” The ceremony took place in the Old House Chamber at the Capitol in Montgomery. Recipients of the National Association of Secretaries of State Medallion Awards stand with Alabama Secretary of State John H. Merrill. (Wynter Byrd / Alabama NewsCenter) Story and images republished with permission of the Alabama News Center.
Energy Institute of Alabama honors state’s linemen
Linemen from a dozen electric companies and cooperatives from across the state gathered on Monday to celebrate Alabama Lineman Appreciation Day, hosted by the Energy Institute of Alabama at Dixie Electric Cooperative in Montgomery. “We’re doing something today that we need to do every day and that is to tell our linemen how much we appreciate what they do,” said Seth Hammett, EIA Chairman and PowerSouth Vice President of Business Development. Joining Hammett in honoring the linemen at the luncheon was Alabama Public Service Commission President Twinkle Cavanaugh and Commissioner Jeremy Oden and Alabama Emergency Management Director Art Faulkner. Baldwin EMC lineman David Hammock and Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives Safety Specialist Eric Turner, a former lineman, also addressed the crowd. “I’m with my co-workers more than I am my family sometimes,” Hammock said. “We are like a family. We watch each other’s backs and we are our brothers’ keepers. We also like to commend our families for giving up a lot for us to do our jobs.” Cavanaugh saluted the linemen, recalling how as a little girl she wished she had a pair of those “fancy shoes they put on that let them climb the poles so quickly.” Now, as PSC president, she told the workers on hand to remember, “Those guys and women in the fancy offices in management at your companies can’t do what you do.” Oden commended the linemen for cooperating when times are difficult after storms strike. “I love the way you work together. You are the front lines. Thank you for the risks you take getting our power back on.” Faulkner, who has been EMA director since 2011, said when a disaster strikes in the state, he has a lineman friend he relies on to gauge the severity of the crisis. “I use my ‘Lineman Index,’” he said. “I call my lineman friend and if he’s enjoying his day in his backyard, I know all is ‘green.’ If I call and I can barely hear him over the sound of his truck, I know he’s on the way to help and I know to go to ‘yellow alert.’ If I call and he doesn’t answer, I know it’s ‘red alert,’ because he is up in his truck helping his fellow linemen and he doesn’t have time to talk to me.” Lineman Appreciation Day was designated as the first Monday in June by the Alabama Legislature in 2014. There are more than 2,000 linemen working for the companies represented by the Energy Institute of Alabama: Alabama Power, PowerSouth, Electric Cities, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the electric cooperatives that are members of the Alabama Rural Electric Association and the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority. Republished with permission of Alabama NewsCenter.
