Katrina 5 years later - A story of recovery (video)

GULFPORT, Miss. — Five years ago Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast – causing nearly total destruction to Mississippi Power’s transmission and distribution system. The storm’s impact left all 195,000 Mississippi Power customers without electric service.

Hurricane Katrina’s destruction was felt throughout the company’s 23-county service area. The key to recovery was restoring electric service, and Mississippi Power’s electrical system had to be almost completely rebuilt.

Our story:

The initial assessment following the storm calculated recovery at four weeks. The worse case disaster plan called for 5,000 extra workers. Mississippi Power’s leadership determined that four weeks was unacceptable. People were in desperate need of electric service for life saving necessities.

In response, Mississippi Power’s storm directors quickly devised a plan to increase the number of extra workers from 5,000 to 11,000 to restore power in 12 days. Restoration crews came from more than 20 states and Canada.

These crews stayed for roughly two weeks in tent cities along the Gulf Coast and Hattiesburg. More than 25,000 meals were served and 93,000 pounds of clothing was laundered for the crews working on restoring electric service.  Crews were coordinated through company radios as no land lines or cellular service was available.

Damage to infrastructure and generating facilities included:

• Two-thirds of the transmission and distribution systems were destroyed or damaged.
• 1,000 miles of distribution line had to be replaced.
• 281 feeder lines (100 percent) had to be replaced.
• 9,000 distribution poles had to be replaced.
• 2,300 overhead transformers had to be replaced.
• 92 percent of the transmission system was out of service.
• 1,920 miles of transmission lines were out of service.
• 300 transmission towers had to be replaced.
• 12 substations flooded.
• One-third of generating capacity was disabled.
• Plant Watson flooded with 18 million gallons of brackish water.
• 196 employees’ homes flooded, 441 were severely damaged and 86 employees were homeless.
• All 195,000 customers out of electric service

“The storms we survived and records we have established are a proud legacy that binds us together with our customers. Today we have cause to recognize and celebrate the indomitable resiliency of the people in Southeast Mississippi,” said Verdell Hawkins, Mississippi Power company spokesman. “Mississippi Power considers it an honor to have played a role in the recovery and perseverance of our customers.”

Mississippi Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, provides retail electric service to approximately 190,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. The company also sells wholesale power to multiple electric power associations and cooperatives in Mississippi.