By Heidi Cunningham
Xcel Energy electrical workers returned home to Minnesota Sept. 24 after assisting with hurricane restoration efforts in Florida and Alabama. Among them was Brian J. Hoppe of Stacy.

Hurricane Frances, the second of two major hurricanes to hit Florida in less than 30 days, had ferociously crawled through the region leaving a path of suffering. In the aftermath sat broken power poles, beaten down trees, snapped electricity lines, crushed buildings and collapsed foundations.

Residents emerged from the rubble battered, stunned and disabled. An electrical system that took years to get in place, needed to be restored in a matter of days for more than 600,000 Progress Energy Florida customers, and 2.7 million Florida Power and Light customers struggling to survive without electricity. Action was necessary.

In an effort to reduce the time needed for restoration, Florida electrical companies requested assistance. Xcel Energy responded by sending more than 100 people from Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin to various parts of the state.

On Sept. 8, 20 Minnesota Xcel Energy trucks coasted into Ocala, Fla., like a flock of geese heading south for the winter. Generators hummed, saws buzzed, and refrigerators sat silent, but electrical workers arrived to remind the people without power they had not been forgotten. They had come to do what they do best: provide energy to enhance the quality of life.

On Sept. 11, Xcel Energy sent a second group of 18 utility workers, and 9 trucks to further assist with restoration efforts. Relief foreman lineman Brian Miller from Waconia, Minn., was a member of the crew. His wife, Lori, said, ìI hate it when they work storm damage, even here in Minnesota.î

Linemen Dave Madigan from Prior Lake said, ìCan you imagine, we take it for granted, but people were down here (in Florida) without electricity for three weeks.î

In a letter to the editor at Sun-Sentinel newspaper, Florida resident Jill Gallow said, ìNo words can express how overwhelming it was to see the lines of out-of-state utility trucks coming down our interstates to the aid of all Floridians. These utility workers are truly our heroes.î

ìThey were in awe, they just couldnít believe it,î said field operations manager, Steve Schapekahm, of the response to his crews arrival.
Schapekahm, from Eagan, has worked for Xcel Energy for 231/2 years. During his journey to the not-so-sunny southern states he managed the logistics of these Minnesota crews assisting with hurricane restoration efforts in Florida and Alabama.

While preparing to depart Minnesota Schapekahm had to anticipate. He was responsible for such things as transportation, lodging, meals, and making sure equipment could meet state and DOT requirements. He also ensured the health cards, gas cards, log books, two-way radios, bottled water, first aid kits, and additional safety gear got packed. Once the trucks and equipment were loaded, the crews were ready to go.

Schapekahm said, ìThey were all pumped up to do whatever it takes to restore power.î

Being a lineman runs in the family for Brian J. Hoppe, a lineman from Stacy. Hoppe explained why he enjoys being a lineman. ìThere are different challenges every day that we work together to figure out,î he said.

Work as a lineman is, as Madigan explained, different. He said, ìItís a different mentality. Weíre like a family. Everyoneís here to back each other up.

There were certainly challenges for the workers to help figure out, and the experience was at the very least different.
When Schapekahm saw the huge yachts and boats stacked up along the coast like cord wood, he realized Hurricane Frances had been a force of nature not to be reckoned with. He said, ìThat was unreal. It showed me the power that storm had.î

With thousands of out-of-state workers coming to help, logistics proved to be difficult for Florida staging site managers. Fueling, parking, eating, sleeping, retrieving supplies, finding maps, dispatching crews there were hundreds of details that needed to be figured out quickly.
ìWork direction took awhile. That was a little frustrating. We were ready to go to work and restore power but we had to sit for awhile. I think that was the biggest frustration for everybody,î Schapekahm said.

They worked around the clock as many as 16 hours at a time. The sun was painfully hot, and the humidity uncomfortably heavy. Heat stroke and the importance of drinking water became frequent topics of conversation. ìThe humidity ñ thatís the first thing everyone noticed,î said Schapekahm. ìIt was something the workers from Minnesota were not use to.î

Humidity was not the only thing the crews from the Midwest had to adjust to. They needed education about the road systems, hurricane conditions, and the possible critters they may encounter: snakes and alligators. Each morning before suiting up, the electrical workers attended a safety meeting to analyze the conditions of the areas they would be working in.

Madigan explained with a chuckle, ìItís like one of the guys was saying ñ in Minnesota were on the top of the food chain, but down here weíre in the middle. Everything down here is completely different from what were use to back home.î

The work was exhausting and dangerous, but Madigan pointed out, ìEveryone is well educated, and they take all the proper steps for safety. We worked hard. Everyone was down here to get the job done.î

Schapekahm proudly said, ìAny job they gave us, the guys did a fantastic job.î

In a letter to the editor Sarasota resident and lineman Charles J. Loeffler Jr. pointed out the importance of utility workers. ìThese people are vital to the restoration of our vital services as well as our quality of life.î He encouraged people to give restoration crews an atta-boy or a thumbs up the next time they passed by.

ìWe talk about Minnesota nice, but theyíve got us outnumbered down here (in Florida and Alabama),î Madigan said about the hospitality and gratitude of the people he encountered.

Schapekahm explained, ìPeople really appreciated us being down here. Guys were getting hugs and handshakes. It was great.î
ìIíll always remember how nice they were to us,î said Brian Hoppe of the people he encountered.

The Minnesota workers headed home Thursday, Sept. 23. They had been gone almost three weeks.
Dave Madigan said, ìIt stinks being away from the family, but itís amazing,î he continued, ìThe experience we had down here (in Florida), the camaraderie itís great. Itís a pretty sweet feeling.î

Each man had his own reason for wanting to go, and will take away something different from the experience.
Schapekahm said, ìI enjoy getting out seeing other areas, leading other linemen, meeting other people.î He will not forget his fellow manager Kendal Adams from Alabama Power. He said, ìWe exchanged hard hats and hand shakes. Iíll always remember him. Weíve got the same goals ñ the same business.î

Lineman Hoppe described his fellow workers as a bunch of guys who like to do their job and help people.
Schapekahm said of his linemen, ìThey were heroes.î

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