To Our County,State Road Workers and WRECC: THANKS

A State Highway Dept truck plows main street in Brownsville.

Darren Doyle, story and photos
While virtually everyone in Edmonson County was busy watching and reading weather forecasts, curling up with another blanket, or sleeping in their warm beds, there were several guys that were just getting started...most of them after they'd already worked a full day or more.

County and State road crews have been busy trying to get things cleaned up for Edmonson County for the past few days, whether it was pre-treating roads, plowing lanes, or working on keeping those trucks going. As the snow continues to fall, those guys will continue to work, and other than stopping here and there to grab a few naps, they'll remain out there until all the roads are taken care of.

A County Road Department truck on a county road in Lindseyville.

Then around 5:30am this morning, more than 7,000 Edmonson Countians lost power and the fear of being cold and in the dark set in for most. That is, until the lights came back on in about an hour. It's rumored that surrounding counties could hear a collective sigh of relief as thousands of EC folks were immediately relieved. 

According to WRECC Engineer Andrew Lindsey, who lives in Chalybeate, the power outage was caused by "line galloping" between Bee Spring and Sweeden. This occurred when ice gathered on the lines and strong winds began to move the lines back and forth, much like flipping a jump rope. 

Lindsey said crew members had to drive and walk the entire section in the dark and freezing rain to locate the affected section. "Different conductors moving in different ways, side-by-side, will either wrap around each other or slap together," he said, which in this case, caused the outage. "We de-energized that section and just let it gallop. There's nothing you can do until it stops."

No matter what was galloping, the fact is, these guys were out in the elements doing whatever it took to get the power back on while most everyone else was in the bed.

On behalf of all of Edmonson County, we thank all of the County Road crew, the State Highway Department, and all the crews at WRECC for doing what you do. We know you still can't rest until all the wintry weather goes away, and we salute you for a job well done.