A few weeks ago, the state of Arkansas was hit with a winter weather system that left the northern half of the state covered in snow. But the southern half of state was hit hard with an ice storm.
Myself and Backfocus Productions, worked with Entergy Arkansas in the aftermath of the ice storm to photograph and film the recovery process.
Ice storms are pretty common in Arkansas. Some storms leave just a thin glaze of ice on the roads making driving treacherous. Other storms, like the one that hit the state on Sunday, February 15, left much of southern Arkansas coated in ice. Streets, houses, trees and power lines were covered in ice.
Entergy Arkansas is a major electricity supplier to Arkansas and when ice storms hit, Entergy Arkansas mobilizes their crews, as well as support crews from around the region, to assist in reconnecting electricity to the tens of thousands left in the dark...and the cold.
Many people get frustrated when they lose electricity, especially when it's very cold. I've heard the grumblings from friends (mostly on Facebook) who don't understand why their local power company cannot just flip a switch and....POOF! Their power is back on.
I can say with complete honest that it's not as simple as it seems. I've photographed crews from Entergy Arkansas on several storm recovery occasions (snow, ice, tornado) and that process is very complicated. There are a lot of steps power companies must take before they can turn your power back on. And if not done correctly, it can be very dangerous.
So the next time your power goes not, don't gripe at the power company. They are working very hard to bring your power back on...so give them a break.
