Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/977628
7 "Travel conditions for our crews were difficult," said Trussville Crew Headquarters Engineering Supervisor Rory Foster. "In the cities, traffic lights were out, the road conditions were bad and driving was aggressive. In the mountains, the roads were narrow, curvy and steep and frequently washed out. Driving was probably one of the most dangerous challenges we faced." With sustained winds of 155 miles per hour at landfall, Maria devastated the electric grid and much of the island's infrastructure. The outages were among the largest in U.S. history, leaving 3.4 million residents without electricity. Radar, weather stations and cell towers were destroyed. Additionally, Maria brought nearly 40 inches of rain in some areas and widespread flooding. Because of the devastation to the Puerto Rican Electric Power Authority's (PREPA) distribution and transmission systems, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) was called for assistance. EEI requested incident management teams (IMT) from utilities across the nation. Southern Company formed a 10-person team of employees from Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Mississippi Power and Gulf Power. The Southern Company IMT was assigned to the Mayaguez region on the west side of the island working with PREPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency, EEI and others. The first-wave IMT was led by Alabama Power Distribution Support Manager Brian Lindsay on Dec. 8, 2017. His team prepared for the arrival of Southern Company's larger incoming team of linemen, fleet and support staff. The team procured lodging and a staging site, and they worked with vendors to provide services and facilities. "One of the major challenges we faced was procuring materials, including poles, conductors and hardware," said Lindsay. "The IMT worked on the island for over six weeks, working through the holidays, away from their families." The first team traveled home on Jan. 22, aer handing duties over to the second IMT. The second wave IMT was led by Foster, who called the challenge "the most severe devastation of a storm I had ever seen." Many roads were washed out by Maria. Alabama Power employees from Birmingham, Eastern and Western divisions.