Hydro One Networks - Media Centre - Helping Florida Recover

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Last Updated Dec 13, 2004

Message from Tom Parkinson, President & CEO

"Helping one another out in times of a major disaster is a longstanding tradition in the electricity industry. Hydro One's lines staff is among the most highly trained and efficient in the world and we have been proud to lend a hand to Florida in the wake of Hurricane Frances.
This collection of letters and stories is a snapshot of not only our crews' efforts and Hurricane Frances' destruction, but also the gratitude of Florida residents.
After our crew of 270 returned home, Hurricane Jeanne hit the Gulf Coast on September 25, destroying much of our hard work. As a testament to our superior skills and professionalism, Florida Power and Light made a special request for Hydro One
staff to once again come to their aid. Hydro One dispatched a fresh crew of 220 on September 27. While the efforts of our crews in Florida have been extraordinary, I'm proud of the enthusiasm and dedication that all of our people serving the province of Ontario demonstrate each day."

Read a thank-you letter from Florida Power & Light (PDF 300 KB).

Media Coverage

The efforts of our repair crews in Florida have made national headlines. Check out some of the recent news releases from across the country:

Hydro One - Sept. 27   Hydro One sending fresh crews to Florida following plea from Florida Power & Light
Hydro One - Sept. 23   Media Advisory: Hydro One crews returning from Florida
Hydro One - Sept. 23   Florida Power & Light says "Thanks" to Hydro One crews for assistance in power restoration
Hydro One - Sept. 22   Hydro One staff "buy" Florida football team
Hydro One - Sept. 9   Hydro One sends "small army" of staff to assist in Florida power restoration
CNews - Sept. 9   Hydro One workers Florida-bound to help restore power
CP24 - Sept. 9 Disturbing Déjà vu
CTV - Sept. 9   Frances lashes Ontario with rain and wind
CBC - Sept. 10   Ivan heads for Jamaica, Cuba and Florida

Download the complete media archive (Microsoft Word - 59 KB).

In The Community: Making a Difference

A Hydro One crew working under the supervision of Ron Matthews was conducting line work in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The neighborhood where they were working contained a field where children practiced football. After restoring power to the facility, the athletics coordinator, Karen Weiss, invited them to use the running water and facilities as a thank you.

About 800 kids from the Port St. Lucie area were practicing football on the field with their respective teams when crews began throwing some balls with the kids during their breaks. One team asked Ron if they could use the name "Hydro One" as their team name. Ron took the idea one step further by saying that Hydro One would sponsor the team. Asking for donations from his crew, they immediately raised over $1,000.00 and donated it to the team leader so that jerseys could be made. On Wednesday, September 22, 2004 this team will receive their "Hydro One Redskins" jerseys (see photo below) and be fully sponsored by Hydro One.

When making the presentation of the donation money (see photo at right), the team coach
couldn't speak as she was so moved by the gift. Hydro One is having some extra jerseys made to hang in our corporate offices and will track this team throughout the season. We subsequently received the letter below in response to our involvement.

"We at Port St. Lucie Athletic Association and the Hydro One Redskins youth football team want to thank the men sent down here to rescue us for their generous contribution to our team and to our community. Our league wanted to honor these men for all the hard work they have done for our neighborhood by naming a football team for them - they have gone far beyond for us and we thank them and those of you who sent them to us. We'll stay in touch and miss them all."
Karen Weiss
upper tackle redskins
www.pslaa.com

On The Scene: Our Crew in Action

A picture's worth a thousand words. See how our crews are working with Florida Power & Light (FPL) to help restore power for the residents of southern Florida. Click to enlarge each photo, then right-click and choose "Save Picture As..." to download.

Hurricane Frances Photos

The "Hydro One Redskins" proudly
show off their new jerseys. Hydro One sponsors a youth
football team in Port St. Lucie, FL. Ron Matthews accepts an honourary
football from team coach Rick Hagerhorst.

Florida residents show how much
they appreciate our help. Workers and residents alike won't
soon forget the kindness of strangers. One of many Hydro One trucks sent
to Florida.

Lines of Hydro One trucks at the
Airport staging area. Hydro One crews prepare to leave
the main staging area. Downed palm trees have damaged
roads, power lines and poles.

A power line maintainer restores
power in Port St. Lucie, FL. One of many Hydro One crews on
the scene in Zone 4. Crews watch out for many varieties
of poisonous crabs, insects and snakes.

Damage to some areas is extensive. A proudly Canadian team from
Hydro One. Workers take a short break to
pose for the camera.

A repair crew puts a crawler in place
to safely remove a broken pole. The crawler lifts the pole out of the
ground for replacement. Another Hydro One bucket truck
attends to a broken hydro line.

A crane begins work on damaged
docks and boats at the marina. Several yachts at the marina did
not weather the storm. Another devastating scene at the
marina.

A beached car sits along side a
completely destroyed roadway. A bait and tackle shop calls for help. 5-year-old Savanah made this poster
for the Hydro One crew on her street.

Large fallen trees make some areas
difficult to reach.
Hydro One crews restore power to
another community.
Collapsed bridges have left some
residents stranded.

Trailer parks are some of the
hardest hit areas.
Straightening and replacing poles
is a priority for all crews.
Even the insurance company could
not withstand the fierce storm.

Boats and jetskis wash up along
the shoreline.
As the situation improves, an area-
wide curfew is lifted.
A homemade sign sends a fond
farewell to Hydro One crews.

Hurricane Jeanne Photos


The Hydro One "alligator" truck from Thunder Bay.	More Hydro One trucks line the tarmac at the airport staging area.	Buses and tents take up huge real estate at the airport.

An impressive feat of organization at the airport staging area.	A homemade bumper sticker reflects the attitude of every worker.	Lunch was served under tents at the airport base camp.

Some neighbourhood kids were happy to see our crews on the scene.	The "S.S. Minnow" has another fateful trip ahead - to the mechanic.	A not-so-welcoming message to all travellers.

Crews work on a damaged transformer...	...and install it overhead.	A coordinated effort to replace damaged poles.

A line technician isolates a feeder line.	Workers make sure the poles are bonded and have secondary grounds.	Supervisors attend an orientation meeting at the staging area.

Feedback from Florida Residents

The hard work of our repair teams has not gone unrecognized. Read some of the thank-you letters and e-mails of appreciation that we have received since the restoration began on September 9th.

Thank You to Hydro One Letter Received To Whom it may concern: I live in Stuart Florida and lost my electric power as the result of Hurricane Frances. Yesterday, I had the good fortune to have been exposed to a crew of electrical workers from Ontario, Canada representing a company named Hydro One. I want to congratulate your company on the quality of your employees. You could not have hand picked better Ambassadors. Polite, very hard working, friendly and helpful. I have never been to Toronto but I am now planning a vacation to Ontario as the result of my experience with the Hydro One crew. Thank you for helping restore my electric to my home and for employing a group of exceptional professionals. Sincerely, Tom Willson 132 St. Lucie Lane Stuart, Florida	Sincerest Thanks Att: Senior Management Email Received Just a note to tell you how much we really appreciate the men from HydroOne that came to Florida to help with the restoration of power. They had to work under extreme pressure and, of course, heat to help us. They did an excellent job. They worked in our development as well as others many long hours and we suspect that these long hours have not yet ended. We were without power 12 days and were like excited children when it came back on. We cannot thank you and all the other power companies that extended themselves on our behalf. We cannot praise your men enough for the professionalism and extra effort they extended in helping us. Sincerely, John & Beverly Geiger Port St. Lucie, Florida	A Note of Thanks to Hydro One Email Received Great Service, Please pass this on My family and I just wanted to express our gratitude to your organization. We were left without power in Port Saint Lucie after hurricane Frances rolled through Florida. I saw your crews working all over the city restoring power to our homes and businesses. On my street alone, I witnessed two of your crews install a new telephone pole and transfer all the equipment to it in about two hours. Very impressive! Again, thanks so much for making the journey down to Florida to assist in attempting to get all our lives back to normal. David F. Weiner Information Security Analyst Martin Memorial Health Systems Stuart, Florida
Thank You Hydro One September 13, 2004 Email Received My name is Bill Gore and I live in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Our area was ground zero for Hurricane Frances last week. Most everyone in this area were or are without power. Today, crews from your company got the power back on to our neighborhood. I talked with Bruce Hoyle, who is one of your crew chief/supervisors and learned that he and his men had come all the way from the Toronto, Ontario to assist Florida Power and Light. I can not begin to tell how touched I was to learn how far your folks came to help us. I know that we (FPL) are being assisted by power companies from all over the USA, but I want to especially thank your company and employees for their efforts. I own a large insurance agency in this area insuring over 4,000 families. Most everyone of my policyholders has been affected by this disaster. My company has a slogan, " Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there". I now know from personal experience that we can say.... Like a good neighbor, our friends from Canada are there! As an individual, and for all of the people in Florida that you are helping, thank you Hydro One. Sincerely, Bill Gore Thank You Hydro One for being there... September 15, 2004 Email Received I am a Port St. Lucie resident that took a direct blow from Hurricane Francies. Your power company trucks worked thru the late evening to turn on our power last Monday 9/13/2004. I want to express my THANKS for we had been without power for almost 2 weeks. We the citizens of PSL, Fl want to Thank You for being concerned about your neighbor even if it is all the way down in SE FLA... A BIG EHHH!!! Just pass this along to all your company workers and Board Members. THANKS!!!! Darrell McCloud	Hurricane Frances September 14, 2004 Email Received I would like to thank your organization for all your efforts in helping us here in Stuart, Florida. I live at 864 NW 12th Terrace in Stuart. We were without power for 9 days, had roof damage and the interior of our house was showing signs of molding. Your crews pulled into our neighborhood late on Saturday night (Sept 11th), right after we found a generator (of course) and told us that they would be working in our area the next day. I don't know how your teams were dispatched, but the crew in my neighborhood were phenomenal. One of the Hydro One team that worked in my neighborhood was R.O. Hawkins, or at least that's what his hat said. He and the others who worked in our area were kind, courteous, and worked with a proficiency that comes from training, professionalism and a good heart. Their obvious attention to detail and concern for us was very uplifting. I had put lemonade and Gatorade at the bottom of my driveway for everyone to share and they took the time to thank me when I was outside. You should be very proud of the work done here and we will be forever grateful for the kind of people working for Hydro One from Ontario! Thank you and please let them know how much we appreciated their sacrifices on our behalf. Carol Dryburgh Utility Crew here in Florida :) September 15, 2004 Email Received Good Afternoon, I am writing from Port Saint Lucie, Florida. You have a crew here helping restore electricity to areas affected by hurricane Frances. The crew who worked on my street were wonderful, polite, very prompt and had our lines up and running in no time. I went back to find them to give them a gift certificate for dinner and can not locate the guys that were on my street. Any way you can help? Do they have a log of by address?? If so, My street was S.W. Canary Terrace in Port Saint Lucie, if you can find out who they are where they may be and I can drop it off. Date restored 9-13 04. Thanks Doreen	Thanks from Florida September 14, 2004 Email Received Dear Sir or Madam, I just wanted to take a quick minute to thank everyone at HydroOne for helping my family, and all of my neighbors here in Stuart, Florida, to restore our power after Hurricane Frances. Your linemen conducted themselves in a most honorable and professional fashion, and worked very hard to restore our power. I can't tell you how relieved we were to see them, after 9 days without power, and how their professional, courteous, and helpful style gave us confidence and hope. From all that I have heard, the crew from HydroOne were the hardest working in all Florida after Frances, and we were honored in Stuart, Florida to have them. I hope that you will pass on the sincere and heartfelt thanks from the Kaidy family, and all of those in Florida who had the benefit of your hard working linemen. We appreciate the sacrifice that all of their families made to allow them to be thousands of miles away helping us. Thanks. We are ever grateful. We hope that you will pass these sentiments on to all of the hard working men and women who made your success in Florida possible. Sincerely, Robert Kaidy on behalf of the Kaidy family, and the Neighborhood of North River Shore, Stuart, Florida. Thanks!! September 16, 2004 Email Received Many thanks to all your crews in Florida helping to restore power. Michael E Osterberg Palm City, FL
Thanks a Million September 16, 2004 Email Received To Whom it May Concern: I'm a resident of Port Saint Lucie, FL, which as you know was directly affected by Hurricane Frances. My neighbors and I waited about two weeks for electricity to be restored; while some were fortunate enough to buy generators, the rest of my neighborhood had to deal with the stifling heat. It didn't help that, for most of that time, no utility workers could be seen in our area. Rather than go any further into that, though, I'd just like to say thanks for sending your guys down to help us out. Without their hard work, many more of us would still be suffering in the heat and humidity. There are still plenty of people waiting for their power to be restored, but at least they have some hope now. God Bless, and keep up the good work! Thanks a million, Aubre Stroud	Hydro One & Port St. Lucie, Florida September 16, 2004 Email Received Customer Relations, Due to the on-set of Hurricane Frances that wreaked havoc on Florida many of us had the pleasure of meeting several individuals from Hydro One. As power was being restored we occasionally ran into many of your crews that were working in the area. I sincerely want your CEOs to know they did a super job, worked extremely hard, were very courteous to residents in need of their services, and all deserve a big pat on the back. Once power was restored at the local meeting places in Port St. Lucie, Florida they were the topic of conversation. They by far outshined our own local crews especially "Florida Power & Light". I know of no one that wouldn't welcome them back at any time in the future. Hopefully not to soon though! Thanks to all of you for assistance in our time of need. Respectfully, Neal Lederer Port St. Lucie, FL	Thank you from Florida Email Received A warm thank you Canada and Hydro One from the people of Port Saint Lucie, Florida. After ten days without electricity the wonderful men from Hydro One restored power to my neighborhood. Thanks again to the men who volunteered to drive 2300 km to help people they don't know. While we know that they are being paid to do a job, the time they are spending far from home and the long hours of work in heat and humidity that they cannot possibly be used to have made them heroes to a group of South Floridians who once again can turn on a light switch and get light. Thanks, Carl Radish Port Saint Lucie, FL
Thanks to Hydro crews in Florida The Toronto Star Fri 17 Sep 2004 Page: A23 Section: Letter Hydro One to the rescue in Florida Sept. 10. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Hydro One fellows who travelled to Port St. Lucie, Fla. after Hurricane Frances. There are many Hydro One vehicles in the area doing a wonderful job restoring our power. These guys are working 12 to 14 hours a day in the heat seven days a week. On behalf of the residents of St. Lucie county, I want to thank these hard-working fellows and give them the recognition they deserve. I am a Canadian citizen who grew up in Toronto and have lived in Florida for the past 13 years. My household had no power for 12 days and it was the Canadians who got our lines restored. Please give these guys a great big thanks from Port St. Lucie. Janice Conkle, Port St. Lucie, Fla.	Hurricane Frances September 16, 2004 Email Received My husband and I are homeowners in Stuart, Fl where the eye of Hurricane Frances decided to make her entrance. We have lived here all our lives, and realize that one of the hazards of living in paradise are the occasional massive storms that blow in from the Atlantic, but I can tell you that as much as I love to travel, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Every location has its drawbacks, you just have to adjust. Unfortunately, one of those adjustments has been living without power for ten days, a little luxury that we have a tendency to get used to and in August and September hate to be without. The guys from your company were the ones who restored our power and made life a little bit more comfortable for us down here, and for that, we thank you. I am sure that it has been very hard on most of the men that you sent down, our heat can be intense, and I know that they are putting in 12 - 16 hour days, you will never know how much we appreciate their dedication and perseverance. So many times we seem to take little notice of the people that help to make our lives a little bit better, and I just wanted to send you a big "THANK YOU" for coming down to assist those of us who needed it. All your crews have been hard working and professional and are a credit to your company. Thank you again from all of us down here for sending them to us, they have been great! Zelia and Charlie Paul Stuart, FL	Florida Service September 17, 2004 Email Received I am a resident of Port St. Lucie Florida and wanted to thank your company, and especially the individuals that came down here, for helping Florida Power and Light after Hurricane Frances. I was one of the lucky ones who got power back after a week, but I wanted to thank you for driving all the way down here to help us out. I hope that the crews are recognized for their service here and that they know how much we Floridians appreciate their work here. Please take the time to let the individual crews know how much they helped us out. Thank you, Kristin Montgomery Port St. Lucie, FL
Port St. Lucie Florida September 18, 2004 Email Received To Whom It May Concern: I wish to express our thanks to your company for coming down to Florida to help restore power after Hurricane Frances! Your employees were so kind and patient with all of the neighbors. We live in North River Shores in Stuart, FL. Your employees had an hour and twenty minute drive one way to reach our neighborhood. We know they must have been exhausted!! They worked such long days in heat and humidity, and they would not accept any offers of drinks. Thank you for lending your employees to South Florida. Unfortunately, I did not get the names of the men that restored our power, but their truck had "COMMANDER" written on the arm of the cherry picker. Please, pass on our thanks to them! Thank you. Sincerely, The Weidner Family 1505 NW Pine Lake Dr. Stuart, FL Thank You September 18, 2004 Email Received As a resident of Port St Lucie, FL, just wanted to say THANK YOU for coming to help restore our lives after Hurricane Frances. Without your help I'm sure many more residents would still be without utilities. Thanks again for all you've done. Gratefully, Bonnie Lee Bagley Port St. Lucie, FL	Thanks from Florida September 18, 2004 Email Received Your Crews are Awesome, they had our power restored in 3 days. They had to drop 8 new poles in the ground and they did that in 2 days. They deserve so much. We in Beau Rivage East in Jensen Beach Florida can not thank them enough. Enclosed are some pictures and a Sign made by one of the residents named Ana. She put it up at the top of our street on US highway one and everyone was beeping and waving it was awesome. Thanks for sending them our way. Linda Hisey and all the residents of Sunset Blvd in Beau Rivage East, Jensen Beach, FL Thanks September 19, 2004 Email Received Dear Hydro One, I live here in Stuart Florida. One of the companies I noticed reconnecting our power after hurricane Frances was yours. I would like to thank everyone who left their homes and traveled all the way to Florida from Ontario to help us out during this extremely difficult time. I hope FPL is just as generous towards you. Again thanks to you all. Gratefully, Mike Amatucci Thank you!!! September 19, 2004 Email Received I wanted to say thank you to Hydro One and to all the crews they sent to Florida to help us after hurricane Francis...A special thank you to the crews working in Jensen Beach on South Indian River Drive. Yeah...Canada!!!!! Jack K. Miller	Hurricane Frances September 19, 2004 Email Received The residents Ocean Spray Terr and surrounding area in Port St Lucie would like to thank the Hydro One lineman that came to Florida to reestablish electricity. We cannot express enough our feelings of gratitude for what your employees have done for our community. Please pass this on to those who came to do this work. My wife and myself have personally expressed this in person, but also felt a letter to your home office was due. Thanks again, Phil & Judy Morse Hurricane Frances September 18, 2004 Email Received To whom it may concern, I just wanted to drop a note to thank all those who recently gave up sleep, comfort, and eating for the past two weeks to help us regain an impossible task---restoring our power. To those of you who were yelled at, snarled at, cursed at, 'whatever' at---please understand that those particular individuals do not represent the vast majority of 'sane' and very grateful individuals who appreciated the tireless energy and diligence put forth by your workers within the vast 35 counties of our state. You will be remembered fondly. Thank you again and may God bless you. A grateful Floridian Stuart, Florida

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