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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-10-13, Page 12Crossroads 12 Wednesday,October 13, 2004 Exeter Times Advocate Local Hydro One crews help Floridians By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — Sixteen hour long days working in temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit wouldn't keep Exeter's Randy Bilcke from going back to Florida to pro- vide hurricane aid. Bilcke was recently part of 240 Hydro One linemen and 130 trucks who spent two weeks restoring hydro to the hurricane devastated area. Bilcke, who works for Clinton's Hydro One, was joined by Grand Bend's Daryl Gill and crews from Walkerton, Listowel and Strathroy. The crews returned Sept. 24 after spending two weeks in Florida. The Hydro One crews met in Windsor before crossing the border to drive south to Florida. Bilcke describes the scene in Florida as "dis- array." Houses were destroyed, trailer parks were oblit- erated, road signs were twisted out of the ground, trees were uprooted and televisions, couches, drywall and aluminum littered lawns and fields. Bilcke said there were large pools of water on roads and those stores and houses that remained standing were boarded up. "Those people are going through hell," Bilcke said, adding that some Floridians saw The above picture shows the Clinton Hydro One crew that helped restore power to Florida after Hurricane Frances devastated the area last month. From left are Ron Matthews, Daryl Gill of Grand Bend, Paul Middegaal, Exeter's Randy Bilcke and Len Muegge. (photos/submitted) their dream homes com- pletely destroyed. "I really feel sorry for those people." Bilcke and his crew stayed in Stuart, a town between Daytona and Miami. Every day for two weeks, linemen worked 16 hours in intense heat and humidity, worse than Bilcke had ever experienced before. He said workers were drink- ing four to five litres of water a day just to stay hydrated. Bilcke said the conditions were "very, very damp." Some schools in Florida can't re -open because they are full of mould. Bilcke and the other crews worked in subdivi- sions restoring power to homes. He said in a week, linemen had power back on in 1.5 million homes. Tree damage to lines was rampant, and Bilcke and his crews spent their time putting up new transformers and poles. He said restoring power to the state was "an overwhelming task . .. it's a big team effort." Bilcke said some Floridians were without power for nearly a month. Unfortunately, two days after Bilcke and his crew finished repairing the damage caused by Hurricane Francis, Hurricane Jeanne ham- mered Florida again, destroying much of the work they had done. Exeter's Scott Eveland and Steve Skinner, both Hydro One employees, were among the group of Hydro One employees who went to Florida after Jeanne pounded the state. This isn't the first time Bilcke has helped repair damage after a disaster. As a member of the PUC in 1998, he did repair work after the ice storms that ravaged eastern Ontario and Quebec. Bilcke said the Floridians were grateful for the help Hydro One crews provided. Residents were constant- ly giving food, water, T- shirts and hats to the linemen and "thank you" signs and Canadian flags were a common sight. A community football team in Florida was named the Hydro One Redskins. Hydro One crewmen later helped raise $1,000 for the team. "We were very well received," Bilcke says. Bilcke said one difficult part of being in Florida was missing his family, which includes wife Heather and children Matt, 12, and Anna, 10. He said he was also proud to be with Hydro One, which featured the newest truck fleet of all the crews in Florida. Despite the tough working conditions, Bilcke said he would go again. He says he's heard weather predic- tions suggesting there will be bad hurricanes in Florida for the next three decades. Should those predic- tions become true, local workers like Bilcke, Gill, Eveland and Skinner will undoubtedly be needed again. Signs like those seen above and to the right were common in Florida when Hydro One crews were helping repair the devastation the state suffered after a brutal hurricane season.Above, a local resident poses with one of the many signs posted. Exeter's Randy Bilcke was among 240 Hydro One linemen who went to Florida Sept. 9 to help restore power after the state suffered major destruction at the hands of Hurricane Frances. More local crews, includ- ing Exeter's Scott Eveland and Steve Skinner went to Florida in late September after another hurricane, Jeanne, hit Florida again. Pictured above can be seen the extensive tree damage.