FORT SMITH, Ark. — OG&E (Oklahoma Gas & Electric) has been awarded two Emergency Response Awards by Edison Electric Institute (EEI).
The award is for OG&E's power restoration work from the May severe storm in Arkansas and Hurrican Ida restoration efforts in Aug. 2021.
The Emergency Response Awards reward outstanding recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies after service disruptions are caused by severe weather or other natural events.
OG&E says award recipients were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process. The awards were presented during EEI’s virtual winter Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 11.
“Last year brought several significant storms and other extreme weather-related events that impacted many customers and communities across the nation,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn. “OG&E and its employees worked around the clock following the Arkansas wind storms and Hurricane Ida to ensure that power was restored safely and as quickly as possible.”
In May 2021, OG&E responded to the area of Fort Smith after power was lost due to heavy rains, 60-75 mph winds, lightning, hail, and three EF-1 tornados.
In May 2021, heavy rains, 60-75 mph winds, lightning, hail, and three EF-1 tornados left 33,000 OG&E customers in Fort Smith and Van Buren without power. OG&E responded to these areas restoring power to almost 70% of customers within 24 hours. The severe weather damaged homes, businesses, and a government building.
When Category 4 Hurricane Ida made landfall on Aug. 29, 2021, it left 904,000 Entergy Louisiana customers without power. Ida’s wind speeds were up to 150 mph and damaged thousands of power poles and over 5,000 transformers. OG&E sent 270 team members including line workers, contractors, vegetation management personnel, and support staff, along with more than 50 OG&E trucks to restore power. Crews worked 16-hours per day for 16 consecutive days. EEI recognized this mutual assistance effort with the EEI Emergency Assistance Award.
“I am most proud of our team’s commitment to restoring power following these significant weather events and appreciate EEI’s recognition of our team,” said Sean Trauschke, OGE Energy Corp. Chairman, President, and CEO. “OG&E prides itself on energizing life for the communities we serve and helping our neighbors when we can. We are grateful to the communities we serve each day for their support for our hard-working employees.”
OG&E has received the highest national distinction for emergency recovery 20 times since 1999. The company has also been recognized 11 times for major storms affecting the OG&E system and nine times for assisting other companies.
“I applaud OG&E and its employees for their unwavering dedication to the customers and to the communities they so proudly serve, and I am honored to present them with this well-deserved award,” said Kuhn.
