Long Island 'no picnic' GSU workers say

A crew of Greater Sudbury Hydro workers have been in New York state helping with the clean-up following Hurricane Sandy for almost a week now.

Ron Poitras, Mike Roy, France Girouard, Jeremy Buttrum, Marc Danis, Steve Johnston, Alain Nolet and Chris Lee, under the supervision of Claude Quesnel, left Nov. 2 to aid in the Hurricane Sandy restoration efforts, arriving in Albany, New York by noon the next day.

Brian McMillan, vice-president of distribution electrical systems for Greater Sudbury Hydro Inc., has provided an update on what the northerners are up to as they help get Long Island back online.

“Upon entering Long Island, the level of devastation quickly became apparent,” McMillan wrote in the update. “The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), who had promised that they would take care of food, lodging, fuel and mechanical repairs during our crews stay, are struggling with the enormity of the job ahead.

“Our crews could not get a lodging assignment from LIPA and on Saturday night ended up making their own arrangements at a hotel that did not have power.”

Undaunted, the next day the crews attended a four-hour safety briefing with LIPA staff. They were assigned a guide to the area, and were tasked with heading to the Oyster Bay area to rebuild a two-mile section of line felled by numerous trees.

It wasn't until the workers arrived at their assigned work detail and got down to business that they realized they still did not have accommodations for the night.

“Claude (Quesnel) was able to find rooms at a hotel that did have power and despite having to put four to five guys in each room, they were all thankful to have a hot shower and a warm place to stay,” McMillan wrote.

A hot shower and a warm bed are particularly welcome after working days that start at 6 a.m. and stretch until 10 p.m.

By Monday, their guide was still trying to arrange accommodations for them at 5:30 p.m. She had a lead on a FEMA emergency shelter that was being set up and recommended that the crews head there early to get a spot.

At 2 a.m., the tents had still not arrived and they all ended up sleeping in the trucks, McMillan advised.

A cramped night in a truck made for a tough, and long, Nov. 6 for the Sudbury crew. They began work on the Oyster Bay line at 6 a.m. and worked til midnight to get the power on to approximately 100 homes, completing their Oyster Bay assignment.

By Tuesday night, the guide, Monique, managed to find some accommodation for the crews, which meant guaranteed beds for the remainder of their stay.

“Not exactly the Hilton, but sufficient,” McMillan wrote.

As many have heard, fuel has been scarce in the hurricane-ravage region, but LIPA is making efforts to fuel to crews.

What's more, the residents of the area are very appreciative of the efforts crews like Sudbury's are doing on their behalf.

“Food supplies were somewhat spotty the first day or so, but seem to have improved,” McMillan wrote. “Claude reports that they get plenty of food at this point. On Tuesday evening when the Crew went to a restaurant to get dinner, the entire restaurant applauded them as they took their seats.

"I’m not sure if it is in spite of or because of the circumstances in Long island but spirits are high among our staff.”

McMillan said before the crews left that they expected to be in New York state for at least one week.