BACK ONLINE: Power mostly restored before next winter wave

J.R. Tidwell, The News Courier, Athens, Ala.
·2 min read

Feb. 18—Thousands of residents in Limestone County were left without power as trees and power lines were downed during the winter storm event that struck the area earlier this week.

Employees with Athens Utilities have been working hard to restore power to those affected. While as many as 6,000 residents were without power at the height of the event, by Wednesday morning, Electric Department Manager Blair Davis said that number had been lowered to 450. The count was down to 321 by 11 a.m. and further to 137 by 2:30 p.m. At 10 p.m. Wednesday that number was down to 31.

Holly Hollman with the City of Athens said linemen have been working each day in shifts from dawn until around 11 p.m. to get power restored. She said the issue now is reaching more isolated residents out in the county that may have to be resolved on a case-by-case basis.

"They have been working from Sunday night through today," Hollman said. "They stop long enough to rest and grab food. We have been lucky that some restaurants have brought them food. We don't want someone who is tired working on an electrical line."

Additional help in the form of a pair of two-man linemen teams from Scottsboro came early Tuesday, and the city of Huntsville also sent a handful of workers to aid Athens early Wednesday morning.

Next wave

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued a winter weather warning for Limestone County that would last until 6 a.m. Thursday.

Snow accumulation of 2-3 inches was said to be possible, with up to a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation. While that amount of ice is a good bit lower than what was forecast earlier this week, Hollman said many trees and branches around Athens and Limestone County have already strained under the weight of the first winter blast, and any further ice may cause more downed power lines as a result.

"We're doing our best to get all power restored before this next round of weather comes through," Davis said.

"If we get hit again, we will face it head on and do what we have to do," said Mayor Ronnie Marks. "Our employees, from utilities to public works to police and fire and so many others, have been working long hours to deal with outages, icy roads, fallen trees and limbs and calls for assistance."

Marks said the City of Athens is "blessed" with dedicated employees. He also thanked Scottsboro and Huntsville for sharing resources and helping to restore power.