Posted by Teri
Thank you OPALCO for always being there. Rain, sleet or snow our linemen are out making sure we stay safe, warm and see the light!
Old OPALCO truck door on Orcas Island
Outages here in the islands are not always because we live on an “island” but can be caused by mainland accidents or downed trees in areas that feed the underwater cables that are the power source for the islands.
Snow storms are not common but can also cause an outage. January’s ice and snow storm had the lower mainland in pretty bad shape with 100,000 plus residences facing outages, leaving people stranded in the cold without heat. Orcas saw two power outages that were relatively easy and quick to fix. Our lineman crew is the best, comprised of local boys who have been here most of their lives. They are experienced in being the person sitting in the dark wondering what caused the lights to go out, and asking “should we be cranking up the generator”? And they know most of these community members left in the dark!! These guys have back up from OPALCO office crew who are working just as hard making sure the crew has hot coffee and food should the weather remain a hazard and it look like it will be an all night date.
Orcas Island Snow Fall 2012
Personally, I look forward to outages. I get an opportunity to just sit in front of the fire with a good book, put a pot of soup on the wood stove, find the candles and hunker down. This time, it was the snow that helped put me in the rocking chair instead of a power outage. Islanders are just equipped and look forward to anything Mother Nature throws at us.
Check out OPALCO website http://www.opalco.com to learn more about our members owned co-op and learn about the many programs that benefit its members.
Looking to enjoy the simple life on beautiful Orcas Island?
Contact T Williams Realty – we’ll help you find your way home.
