Video Shows Why Louisiana Linemen Deserve More Credit During Outages

When the electricity goes out in Louisiana, people are used to it, even if we don't like it. Whether it's a hurricane or a severe thunderstorm that has rolled through our area, linemen will do whatever they can to get your life back on track through electricity delivery.

Severe thunderstorms have been a constant for weeks across South Louisiana, and many utility companies have been dealing with sporadic electrical outages.

All workers at electric companies would love to flip a switch to turn your air conditioning back on.

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Not Having Power Is Annoying!

For someone dealing with a sick relative, they also wish someone could flip a switch to turn the electricity back on for that relative's medical equipment. But that's not always something that can be done.

When the power was out on Friday, June 14, it was a job for a SLEMCO lineman.

READ MORE: OVER 3,000 SLEMCO CUSTOMERS LOSE POWER IN LAFAYETTE

Why Flipping The Power Back On Isn’t Always Simple

Most of us might not know precisely what these employees have to go through to get our lights back on. This video shared by SLEMCO illustrates the treacherous nature of the work for linemen attempting to restore power.

The SLEMCO post on Facebook started with this message from the company:

An excellent example of why we can’t always tell you how long it will take to get your power back on. He worked part of the outage from the other direction, then had to go back from this direction to finish the job. Cause: lightning. Video is a little long, but this is the real deal folks. And yes, he is bootless. But his hard hat made the trip.

No Boots, No Fear — Just Heart, A Hard Hat, And Hope

SLEMCO spokeswoman Mary Laurent tells KPEL

My SLEMCO coworkers definitely take their frontline, first-responder calling seriously. Any one of them could replace the man in the video and do the same thing to get the power back on.

Laurent says a video like this one helps educate the public on some of the crazy problems that linemen face when they show up for work each day.

Lineman Will Brave the Elements To Restore Power

She says that more often than not, they don't know what has caused the power to go out until they arrive at the scene. It can be something as simple as a blown fuse, which can be easily fixed in just a few minutes.

On other occasions, a lineman may need to walk through extremely high water to reach the problem, and they may require additional equipment to be delivered.

What It Really Takes To Bring The Power Back In A Crisis

Laurent says that when the electricity goes out, it could also involve a tree on a power line. The possibilities for issues can be extensive, which impacts the time it takes to make repairs.

To the gentleman who went out to fix this electrical issue for SLEMCO, thank you, from all of us!

The same applies to any lineman with any company. Thank you for always going out at any time and on any day to fix a problem.