Through rain, snow, hurricanes and tornadoes – I&M employees are there to help restore a bit of comfort and normalcy along with the power. Their dedication to helping after the storm was on full display in July as an EF1 tornado in Elkhart, Ind. and Hurricane Beryl in Texas disrupted lives and electrical service.

“Our employees are a dedicated and generous group. They don’t hesitate to help after storms -- whether that’s here at home or thousands of miles away.” said Steve Baker, I&M president and chief operating officer. “I’m very thankful for the safe work our crews did to restore power to impacted communities. I’m also grateful for the support and patience shown to our crews by our customers during the restoration process.”

In the evening and overnight hours of July 15, a rapidly moving storm with heavy winds impacted a majority of I&M’s service area. An EF1 tornado with 90 mile-per-hour winds also whipped through southern Elkhart. Numerous trees were toppled and uprooted, more than 325 spans of power lines were ripped down and nearly 100 power poles were damaged or broken. Before the storm hit, I&M had crews on standby and asked for mutual assistance crews from southern Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Alabama to start making their way here.

"The restoration team of more than 750 employees, business partners and mutual assistance crews worked long hours to restore service as safely and quickly as possible," said Subin Mathew, I&M's Grid Modernization Director. "Thanks to their combined efforts, more than 90% of affected customers were restored in less than 24 hours, and more than 97% in under 36 hours. We appreciate the assistance crews who came to our aid and our field and support staff for their dedication to our customers and the communities we serve."

I&M had sent over 50 employees to Texas to assist with Hurricane Beryl restoration efforts since July 8. Crews arrived in Texas the weekend before the Category 1 hurricane slammed into the Gulf Coast, cutting power to millions of customers.

Our crews worked 16-hours day in the Texas heat and humidity to restore power to our sister company, AEP Texas, and CenterPoint Energy, setting power poles, restringing power lines and repairing equipment to turn the lights and air conditioning back on for customers in the El Campo and Houston areas.

"When we first arrived in Houston, the damage from the storm was clearly evident and we couldn’t wait to help,” said Herb West, Manager of Distribution System for Muncie and Marion. “There were many hazards – the heat, navigating around debris and heavy vehicle traffic – but with our training, expertise and the professionalism of our employees we safely worked throughout the week. Appreciation was expressed by the CenterPoint Energy team. Their customers and our line crews, fleet, and safety team all deserve kudos.”

Customers were also forthcoming with words of gratitude on our social media pages:

• “Thank you for your hard work it’s deeply appreciated.” – Rhonda
• “Amazing job… I stopped to THANK a few from out of state tonight! Thank you again guys! Have a safe trip home.” – Scott
• “Thanks to the linemen crews who are working hard to take care of all.” – Renee
• “There are so many companies out there assisting in many ways coming all over. Thank you to each and every person for their part.” – Karen, AEP Texas Customer

Assisting each other after extreme weather is a critical role for power companies. I&M answers the call for others in their time of need because we know that when we need an extra hand, help will come from across the country.