Close coordination across the co-op gets the job done
During the heavy rainfall that began on July 14 this summer, the hardest-hit areas in the PEC service territory were to the west, in the vast region served by our Junction district. There was extensive flooding across a huge geographic area that included Kimble, Mason, Real, Edwards, Kerr, and Sutton counties.
Compared to the eastern portion of our service territory, the area served by Junction crews is extremely rough, rural, and spread out, and flooding was everywhere. The major roads PEC uses to reach outages were all closed at various points, including U.S. Highway 83 from Junction to Uvalde, U.S. Highway 377 south from Junction toward Del Rio, and Texas Highway 55 south from Rocksprings to Uvalde.
As a result, dispatching crews to outages became much more complicated and time-consuming. One outage, at a summer camp in Rocksprings, required lineworkers to drive from Junction west to Sonora, then south toward Del Rio, and back east past Rocksprings. It took 2.5 hours just to arrive on the scene. While the camp was in no danger, there was concern that an extended outage could strain the fuel supply for their generators. Despite the challenges, PEC crews restored power in just six hours.
Flooded roads weren’t the only challenge to reaching and restoring outages. Poles and other equipment were frequently inaccessible to normal PEC trucks. Creeks were high and poles were washed out in rough terrain. Heavier equipment, like utility vehicles and diggers, was needed, and the PEC fleet team even dispatched a military vehicle from Johnson City.
The street-legal 6×6 M923A2 truck — also known as “The Goose” — is used to assist operations during the most extreme weather events. With its six 50-inch tires, the truck was able to navigate flooded crossings, clear debris, and stand up poles so that power could be restored.
“I’m proud of the teamwork the fleet team demonstrated during the recent floods,” PEC Facilities and Fleet Manager Gary Weir said. “They consistently go above and beyond, and their emergency-response mindset reinforces our commitment to the cooperative.”
In addition to the fleet team heading west to help, lineworker crews from PEC’s Marble Falls district and the technical services team stepped up to provide extra support. During emergency situations, it’s all hands on deck at PEC, and safely and quickly restoring power requires not just our lineworkers, but our control center and fleet teams to be at their best. Thanks to their close coordination, we were able to show our members what we do best: stay the course until every one of them is back online. We’re grateful for the safety of our employees and members through this difficult event.
