In Darkness, Gratefulness

Following a nearly 24-hour power outage in the Platte Valley, we believe a variety of kudos must be sent out now that power has been restored and things have returned to normal in our communities.

First and foremost, kudos to Carbon Power & Light and Tri-State Generation. It didn’t take long after the power went out on Saturday afternoon for crew members to arrive at the affected substation and begin troubleshooting the issue. Additionally, crew members worked around the clock through a cold spring night to return power to the Valley. A total of 16 Tri-State Generation crew members and six Carbon Power & Light crew members worked on restoring power.

Kudos also to Carbon Power & Light for doing their best to keep residents informed. While residents may have physically been in the dark, the electric cooperative posted as often as possible to their social media with updates on progress at the affected Trowbridge Substation.

Second, we are thankful how quickly the Saratoga Police Department—specifically Chief John Moore and Officer Mike Morris—were able to set up an incident command post for the power outage. Rather than attempt to try and handle the situations themselves or allow the different organizations to handle the outage separately, the police department moved quickly to combine forces. While the core group was composed of the Saratoga Police Department, South Central Wyoming Volunteer Fire Department and Carbon County Office of Emergency Management other organizations included the Encampment Police Department, the Saratoga and Encampment volunteer fire departments, North Platte Valley Medical Center, Carbon County Public Health and Memorial Hospital of Carbon County.

The ability of all these organizations to work together in a time of need should be praised. Even people who were not immediately impacted by the outage volunteered to help answer phones at the Carbon County Coordination Center (C4).

This brings us to Lenny Layman, who has evolved the Office of Emergency Management in ways few likely foresaw when he first arrived in Carbon County. It is due to Layman’s outreach and work with first responders and municipalities that the Saratoga Police Department and Carbon Power & Light thought of reaching out to his office in the first place. Layman knows his strengths and how to compliment them with the strengths of others, allowing subject matter experts to make the proper recommendations. Using his contacts to expedite the arrival of the mobile substation, which currently helps power the Valley, was beyond helpful.

Finally, we give kudos to Stayton Mosby, director of SCWEMS. Involving his organization with the Central Wyoming Healthcare Coalition showed great foresight, allowing for yet another resource during this power outage as the coalition provided lighting and generators.

In any emergency, communication—whether it's between organizations or with the public—is of the utmost importance. Whether it was the social media posts made by Carbon Power & Light or the Integrated Public Alert & Warn System messages sent out by the Carbon County Office of Emergency Management, we believe communication throughout this event was handled well.

In many ways, the Valley was lucky. The power outage could have lasted longer than it did, it could have happened earlier in the winter when we were faced with subzero temperatures. Instead, it served as a useful training exercise for all parties involved.

Our luck is outweighed by our fortune, however, in having agencies and organizations so willing to work together for the good of the community.