TSTC instructor weighs in on restoring power following a storm

(ROSENBERG, Texas) – More than 900,000 CenterPoint Energy customers lost power as a result of the storm that rolled through the Houston metro area on May 16, according to the company’s website.

As someone with professional experience in the electrical lineworker field, and as an instructor for the Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology program at Texas State Technical College’s Fort Bend County location, Ron Jones recently shared what it can be like to restore power in the aftermath of such a storm.

“When a storm rolls in, work is nonstop,” Jones said. “You gotta remove everything. One part of the crew is cleaning up, and the other part is restoring. The crews are big, around 50 to 60 people big. They can put up 10 miles of line in a day.”

Before cleanup and restoration can happen, however, the extent of damage must be assessed. Between calls coming in from people without power and technicians being sent out, power companies are able to develop a map of affected areas. Then planning can commence.

“I once worked on a big restoration project where there were multiple crews showing up to work on the same lines,” Jones said. “Better planning helps to ensure each crew is working on different lines to help speed up the process. It’s like a big orchestra.”

Jones urges patience for those waiting on their power to be brought back online, even after they learn that other people’s power is restored.

“The most important thing for the public to know during times like this is don’t touch any wires on the ground, and be patient,” he said. “Lineworkers are working upwards of 15 to 16 hours a day to get power restored.”

TSTC offers Electrical Lineworker and Management Technology at its Abilene, Fort Bend County, Harlingen, Marshall and Waco campuses. An Associate of Applied Science degree and a certificate of completion are available.

The program is part of TSTC’s Money-Back Guarantee, which refunds a participating graduate’s tuition if he or she has not found a job in their field within six months of graduation. For more information, visit tstc.edu/mbg.

Registration for TSTC’s fall semester is underway. For more information, visit tstc.edu.