Mike Martin once worked 18 consecutive shifts when an ice storm left nearly 90% of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative’s consumer-members without power.
it looked like some of our members might be out for as long as a day or two. Then when we woke up the next morning and saw it in the daylight, we knew it was a bad situation.” The arctic air met the rain on a path that led directly through the Holmes-Wayne service territory, and as many as 15,000 of the co-op’s 17,000 members lost power. In all, a half-million Ohioans were in the dark, including an estimated 100,000 electric cooperative members across the central, southwestern, and northeastern parts of the state. Even with help from lineworkers sent by less-hard-hit areas, Martin and his crew worked 18 consecutive 16- to 18-hour days, including Christmas and New Year’s, in freezing temperatures, getting power restored. “I remember being up on a pole turning one house back on,” he says. “It was after dark, and the kids came running out of the house yelling and cheering and
thanking us. It actually took us a little bit to realize that it was Christmas Eve. It was a touching moment for us. It makes you feel really proud of the work you do.” Meanwhile, Martin’s own family and extended family put off their Christmas celebration for two full weeks while he was on the job. That’s the type of courage and dedication electric cooperatives across the country honor on Lineworker Appreciation Day, this year on April 13. “Electric linemen don’t often get the recognition they deserve,” says Kyle Hoffman, who heads up the lineworker training program for Ohio’s electric cooperatives. “They work all hours of the day, often in hazardous conditions, far from their families. They go above and beyond to restore power to their Continued on page 6
APRIL 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 5