Power restored in Wanblee

Hundreds still remain without electricity as crews work overtime

By Journal staff | Saturday, November 15, 2008

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Lacreek Electric Association in Martin restored power Friday to Wanblee and some scattered residences, but more than 375 people remain without power Saturday morning.

The association continues to make repairs on its electric system that was damaged in the Nov. 5 and 6 snow and ice storm, according to a news release from the South Dakota Rural Electric Association.

Officials hope to have a portion of the system north of Allen restored by Saturday night as well as a three-phase line near Parmelee.

More than 125 outside workers are helping to restore miles of damaged infrastructure in Lacreek’s area. The hardest-hit counties for LEA were Mellette, Jackson and Shannon.

Early estimates show the cooperative lost more than 1,370 power poles in the storm. But, the poles aren’t the only story, the rural electric association said. The miles of transmission line that had cross-arm structures broken in the storm are time-intensive to repair and essential to the restoration process.

Crews are encountering difficult conditions as they work to get power line out from under snow in rugged terrain.

The wet, heavy snow and ice that came with the storm left deep snow which blocked many roads hampering crews’ ability to get to damaged areas. In some cases, the ice-encrusted lines lie buried under 3 to 6 feet of snow. Friday’s strong winds and blustery conditions made the work more difficult.

South Dakota National Guard crews have been assisting Lacreek, Butte Electric Cooperative and Grand Electric Cooperative in Bison in getting crews around. National Guard Caterpillars, dozers and other equipment have been essential in moving snow for crews and for extracting utility vehicles stuck in snow and mire.

Lacreek Electric serves more than 4,000 cooperative members in Bennett, Jackson, Mellette, Shannon and Todd counties in South Dakota and part of Cherry County in Nebraska.

The South Dakota Rural Electric Association, headquartered in Pierre, is helping coordinate crews to assist the cooperatives.