Davey Showcase: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita:


Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Damage Assessment

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Louisiana coast Aug. 29, 2005, a team from Davey Resource Group (DRG) arrived to assist a major electric utility company with post-storm assessments.

A rotating team of more than a dozen DRG men and women from across the country inspected lines and poles and noted damage on the Entergy Corporation circuit map in the New Orleans area. This included all lines that were down, trees that were lying on lines, and poles that needed to be replaced.

When Hurricane Rita hit, many DRG personnel remained in Louisiana and assessed damage in additional affected communities. DRG also helped to oversee more than 60 tree crews that worked to restore power. The storm response team, which worked seven 16-hour days a week, remained in the state for nearly two months.

Working conditions were vastly different from previous hurricane seasons. Polluted water was prevalent in work zones, and armed military personnel were present to ensure the safety of recovery workers and residents who did not evacuate. For safety reasons, DRG surveyors received tetanus and hepatitis A and B shots due to contamination throughout the area. The first few nights on location, crews slept in their trucks due to a lack of accommodations.

“But this is one of the things we do best,” said a DRG project leader. “A major catastrophe brings confusion to the affected region and its utility, but we bring a sense of stability because we have the experience of helping others with their systems in similar situations.”