Hurricane Sally, a category 2 hurricane, came ashore near Gulf Shores, Alabama the morning of September 16, 2020 – the 16^th anniversary of Hurricane Ivan. The storm brought to shore eight barges and caused billions in damage to the Pensacola, FL and Mobile, AL areas, including breaking off a section of the Pensacola Bay Bridge. Over 2,000 power lines were destroyed, and it is expected that restoration could take several weeks.

More than half a million people were left without power, but Irby crews were ready in the area as the storm arrived, prepared to begin repairs as soon as Sally moved inland. Since then, over 160 Irby linemen have been working 16-hour days as part of a group of 1,500 contractors hired to expedite power restoration. With Irby’s help performing distribution, transmission, and substation services throughout the area, more people are regaining power every day.

With destroyed infrastructure and difficult conditions, Irby crews continue to keep safety their highest priority.­ Sally is the fourth hurricane to make landfall in the US this year, the most by this point in the hurricane season since 2004. Irby crews will remain at the ready until the end of this record-breaking season in November.

​Hurricane Laura made a Category 4 landfall on August 27, 2020 near Cameron, Louisiana. Deadly and destructive, Laura tied with the 1856 Last Island Hurricane as the state’s strongest landfall on record, causing billions of dollars of damage along the way, including some deaths.

Irby crews were in Louisiana before the storm hit so that they could be readily available to get the lights back on when the storm passed. Under the company’s storm contract with Entergy, 430 Irby linemen began restoration efforts performing transmission, distribution, and substation services throughout Louisiana and Texas.

Working 16 hours a day, seven days a week while living in “man camps,” linemen are the true heroes of storm restoration. With the help of subcontractors like Irby is bringing power back to towns like Lake Charles, Louisiana, where over 6,000 people were left without power due to the hurricane.

As always, safety is the most important part of any job that Irby participates in, and Irby crews will continue to work safely in the affected areas until the power is restored.

Each year on April 18th, Irby celebrates National Lineman Appreciation Day. Without our Irby crews’ dedication to safety and Absolute Performance, we would not be where we are today as a company. Powerline construction is “essential,” and Irby remains successful through this pandemic because of our linemen’s performance.

As a small token of appreciation this year, we gifted our linemen bucket bags. We have also created a Lineman Appreciation Day to express our gratitude and provide others an opportunity to thank a lineman, too. Please share this link with friends and family so that they can submit their statements and show support. We look forward to this day each year but hope that our linemen feel appreciated each and every day.

Irby is proud to announce that we have been awarded the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) project in a joint venture with Cianbro. The project consists of building a 145-mile transmission line on land owned or controlled by Central Maine Power. This is a $950 million investment that will deliver 1,200 megawatts of renewable hydropower to the New England energy grid in Lewiston, Maine.

Creating more than 1,600 jobs while providing $200 million in upgrades to Maine’s energy grid, the NECEC Project will stimulate the state’s economy. Throughout the two-and-a-half year project, NECEC will lower electricity prices, increase local real estate taxes, reduce energy costs, and even expand fiber optic cable for broadband service in nearby counties.

We look forward to returning to Maine for another transmission project. This is a significant win for Irby, and we want to thank all of those on the team that contributed and made this achievable. 

Other resources on this project can be found here:

WorldConstructionNetwork.com

APNews.com 

USNews.com 

ElectricEnergyOnline.com  

On Thursday, April 2nd, Legend Foundation Services showed their support to those serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. In Prairieville, Louisiana Vice President Bryan Beck and General Manager Jason Duncan cooked and served jambalaya to the Oshner Clinic and the Fire Department.

Legend fed around 100 people as a small token of appreciation to these brave men and women. What an inspiring and heartfelt tribute to those on the front lines of this pandemic. Thank you to those heroes working to save lives during these uncertain times, and thank you, Legend, for leading by example!