Author - Diana Abke

I am writing this today just to give my viewpoint on a lineman's life after a hurricane. I may not be a lineman's wife but I have been in a relationship with one for the past 6 years. David Hamilton has worked for CenterPoint out of Texas for 25 years. I have never known someone more passionate about his job then he is. The only thing on David's mind when he drives out of the service center is getting the lights on no matter what it takes.

Living as a Lineman after Ike

Down power lines, transformers, poles, and trees that is just some of the destruction after a hurricane. Life as we knew it before would be forever changed for the next weeks to months, maybe even years. The storm is still moving threw Harris then Montgomery County and beyond. The linemen are scheduled to report to their service centers to get their orders to head out to start restoring power to the millions who hours before woke up to darkness. No time to worry about their homes that may or may not have been damaged and especially if they have power. The number one priority right now is the millions of Centerpoint customers that are in the dark.

Now, working like robots they have a schedule and one schedule is all that they will know for the coming days. 3 am comes way too early for these linemen. Report to work at 5 am, receive their orders and off to the jobsite they go. Picking up wires, hanging transformers, walking out line fuses, reconnecting switches, and bang the power is on. Sometimes no power and the linemen feel the frustration, but they try their best to do what they can. Then back to the service center to end a long 16-hour day. Home to their families, or should I say what families? Shower and to bed they go. It's 3 am and their day starts all over again. Now it's been 15 days and still thousaunds have no power. These linemen will not rest and will keep the same routine until 100% of the CenterPoint customers have been restored.

As for family time, what is that? There is no time now. Some have wives, girlfriends, and children. But for the next weeks that could possibly turn into months they will be just a ghost to the ones they share a life with.

Living as a lineman can give you many satisfactions as well as dissappointments. The biggest satisfaction is seeing the appreciation on a customers face when their power was restored after being without for weeks. For those who still have no power, there is hope. I know many of you are frustrated and CenterPoint is frustrated to, they are working to get the lights on. You may wonder "Why is there power across the street and I have none?" Not all of the wires run to the same circuits. Some are damaged more than others. Have some faith and patience with the men that are out there trying to make your life more livable.

Living and being a lineman takes time and dedication. These men have no family time or life for that matter. They eat, sleep, and breathe trying to restore power. Whether it's from wind, rain, ice, lightning, or any other element Mother Nature may bring our way.

When the weeks and months finally pass and life gets back to some kind of normal, the way we knew it before September 12, 2008 remember that these men did their best to get the lights on in a timely manner. They deserve some rest and relaxation after the tremendous task that was thrown at them. If you see a CenterPoint vehicle smile and wave to let them know you are thankful that they are out there everyday and night sacrificing their family time and their safety for the millions of CenterPoint customers.

Diana Abke