14
THE DAVEY BULLETIN
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November/December 2017
UTILITY CREWS UNITE FOR DUAL HURRICANE RESPONSE
When Hurricane Irma hit Florida, more than 1,000 Davey
employees rushed to support the recovery.
Davey crews from Maine to California responded – some
after spending days on the Hurricane Harvey recovery.
David Miller, area manager, Davey Tree Surgery Company,
and Brandon Freeman, account manager, CenterPoint
Energy, had the exhaustive task of managing 25 crews –
a total 90 employees – cleaning up after Hurricane Harvey in
the Texas area and then, days later, sending many of those
same crews to Florida to help with the response to Irma.
"Harvey was different from past storms," Miller said.
"Instead of your typical tree damage due to high winds,
we sustained widespread flooding. Our trouble calls were
primarily due to uprooted trees because of soil saturation."
The Harvey response was easier because it lacked hazards
common in other storms, such as downed lines and trees
laying on power lines under tension.
"The work was mostly uprooted trees," Freeman said.
"We were able to do a lot of the work from the ground. Our
biggest issue with the flooding was we couldn't get places."
In Texas all the crews were local, so they were familiar with
the CenterPoint Energy and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative
circuits they were helping to restore.
"They knew where the service centers were and the
expectations of the work that needed to be done,"
Freeman said.
But being local came with a drawback. Of the Harvey
response crews, 17 employees had suffered damage to a
house, car or both from the storm.
"First, we were concerned about the safety of our
employees and their families," Miller said. "With as much
flooding that the hurricane caused, we knew it would impact
some of our own. Yet, even while their homes and cars were
still under water, our employees found a way to come in
and help with the restoration efforts. The selflessness they
showed by doing so is a true testament to their character
and the Davey culture."
Despite personal hardships, many of those same employees
left Texas when their work on Harvey finished and headed
to Florida. A total 19 crews – 62 total employees – from
the CenterPoint Energy, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and
San Antonio Central Public Service accounts drove 1,000
miles to help Florida recover from Irma. There, Davey crews
MY DAVEY
Above: Hurricane Irma's winds snapped and twisted trees like this
all across Florida.
Right: Davey crews came from all over the U.S. to assist with the
Hurricane Irma recovery efforts.
