CU recruits help from more than 12 states

That’s bound to add up, but at press time CU still hadn’t released a cost estimate for cleanup and repairs after a historic ice storm hit Springfield on Jan. 12 and paralyzed the city for days.

“This is the biggest logistical operation we’ve ever supported,” said CU spokesman Ern DeCamp. “It’s a benchmark; there’s no question about that.”

General Manager John Twitty said CU will pay for the massive storm response out of its disaster contingency reserves, which totaled $33 million as of September 2005. Twitty suggested the Federal Emergency Management Agency would reimburse the utility for at least 75 percent of the total cost.

Empire District Electric, which serves Joplin and the surrounding region, has said that property damage and reconstruction costs in its service area will exceed $20 million.

For CU, mutual aid agreements and new and existing contracts delivered more than 1,300 reinforcement personnel. “They have come from literally all over the country,” Twitty said.

DeCamp said contracted crews working in the Springfield area had come from more than a dozen states, but could not provide a pay range for those workers.

Contracts with regular service providers – Asplundh of Pennsylvania, PAR Electric of Kansas City and B&L Electric of Clinton – address the pay rates for workers loaned to the utility, Twitty said.

Crews are paid by their employer, and CU is later billed per crew in accordance with the contractual terms. Those who work overtime are compensated accordingly, Twitty said, adding that the crews are on loan as long as CU needs them.[[In-content Ad]]