Line worker discusses power restoration challenges ahead of winter storm

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) — As Central Virginia braces for a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain, Dominion Energy lineman Joshua Morse is preparing for around-the-clock power restoration work.

Morse, a Henrico native, demonstrated the tools he relies on to restore electricity.

“We’ll use something like this, which is why it’s called like a quick sleeve,” Morse said. “Just shove one side of the wire, corresponding color will be for the side, and the other side will also be for that corresponding color.”

The lineman will work 16-hour shifts during this weekend’s severe weather event.

“We’re going to have a night crew who comes in and overlaps us and we’re going to have 24-hour service storm restoration mode the entire time,” Morse said.

For now, Morse is bracing for the challenges ahead with the winter weather projected to hit Central Virginia on Saturday and Sunday.

“The biggest part, I think for us, is going to be ice. Ice is going to be very slick. We’re going to put chains on the trucks, it’s going to help us get through it,” Morse said. “Driving this truck, this truck is very heavy. So, we’re going to have to drive a little bit slower, we’re not going to be able to stop as fast as say a regular car.”

The restoration process will continue until everyone’s power is restored, a task that takes time due to weather conditions.

“Most of us will probably go home to no power also,” said Morse. “We’re going to be working as hard, as fast, as safe as we can to get everybody back on.”

Despite the challenging conditions, Morse finds a silver lining in connecting with his neighbors, a feeling he wouldn’t trade for the world.

“A lot of times, we get the lights back on, we close that fuse in, people will come out hooting, hollering and hooraying. It’s always a great feeling knowing that you’re able to bring somebody’s life back whole and get somebody back to some normalcy,” Morse said. “We all know electricity is very important.”

If your power goes out during the winter storm, you can report an outage by clicking here.

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