POWERGRAMS

8 "It was unbelievable to see customers that had been without power for over five months," Foster said. "For weeks aer the storm, many residents were trapped in their communities because the roads were washed out or blocked by trees and debris. For those who could get out, the grocery store shelves were oen empty. They were stranded without access to basic necessities such as food, boled water and bread. Lines at gas stations were long and the supply could not keep up with the demand." Alabama Power's team experienced many challenges seldom seen in previous storm missions. "The terrain was also difficult," Foster said. "Power lines frequently traversed across mountains, so a lot of the spans were long and the poles were inaccessible. Our crews oen had to cut their way in and frequently climb poles to repair the power lines." "Material shortages were also a real problem," he added. Puerto Rico's materials problems were exacerbated because industry supplies were depleted by other recent natural disasters, such as Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma and wildfires prior to Hurricane Maria. Communication was also difficult for Alabama Power crews. "The language barrier was an unusual obstacle we never really encountered before," Foster said. "Spanish is the primary language on the island and a lot of the customers and many of the PREPA employees did not speak English, or spoke very lile. It was difficult to communicate, and we had a need for translators." "Georgia Power has a program that recruits engineers from Puerto Rico. They sent several engineers who were either from Puerto Rico or who spoke Spanish," he added. "Those employees were critical to the success of our mission. They served as translators and helped us learn the area and culture." By the time the second Southern Company team le Puerto Rico, power had been restored to 92 percent of the island. A third wave of employees le Alabama in late March to help restore the remaining customers located in the more remote, central area of the island. In all, more than 125 APC employees assisted in the restoration efforts. Nelson Seda became part of the Alabama Power Family during the islander's time working alongside the stateside linemen. Seda only missed two days helping Gardendale Crew Headquarters Engineering Supervisor John Woody and his crew: Seda took a break for his wedding and honeymoon. "Nelson has truly been a blessing to all of us," Woody said. "The guys have accepted him since Day One and a brotherhood has truly been created with him." Seda, a 61-year-old retired policeman, assisted APC employees in Puerto Rico, flagging traffic, as a liaison to lawmen and interpreting trouble calls from Spanish-speaking residents. He was presented the "Exceptional Citizen Award" by employees returning to Alabama. "Thank you, Nelson Seda, for being an exceptional citizen and helping us complete our power restoration efforts in Puerto Rico in a fast and safe manner for 54 days," the certificate states. "Your work, willingness and warm welcome made this experience an unforgeable one." Gracias, Nelson Seda Seda and Woody Georgia Power line crew, engineers, security and Incident Management Team members.

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