For immediate release: 3/3/07

GRDA employees honored for experience, efforts during December 2007 Ice Storm

Pryor -- Honoring many years of experience and recognizing a job well done.

Those were the top priorities at the Grand River Dam Authority’s Engineering and Transmission Headquarters on Tuesday, February 26. During a special presentation, GRDA Assistant General Manager of Transmission Dale Willis recognized 15 GRDA employees who had recently reached the 25 or 30-year marks with the Authority. With a combined 380 years of experience, the group represented many functions within GRDA Transmission and Engineering, ranging from power line maintenance and right-of-way maintenance to administrative functions.

On behalf of Oklahoma State Senator Sean Burrage (Dist. 2), 85 GRDA employees also received citations recognizing them for their efforts in power restoration following the December 2007 ice storm.

Representing two the counties hardest hit during the ice storm (Rogers and Mayes), Burrage wanted to commend the GRDA team for the outstanding job it accomplished in assisting citizens to recover from the devastating storm.

“I was so impressed with what a good job the GRDA workers were doing,” said Senator Burrage, “and how they were going above and beyond the call of duty to help citizens, that I wanted to honor each one.”

Those employees who helped with ice storm recovery efforts epitomized "the courage, discipline and inner strength of the Oklahoma citizens that band together in such a desperate time of need in a year of devastation caused by forces of nature," stated the citation.

Like many other utilities in the region, GRDA suffered heavy ice storm damage twice in 2007. The January ice storm pounded the system, causing the most extensive damage along one high voltage line running from GRDA’s Robert S. Kerr Dam towards Siloam Springs, Arkansas. The December ice storm impacted another area of GRDA’s system, knocking down a long stretch of Feeder 13, a high voltage line running from Collinsville to Osage, north and west of Tulsa. Structures were also damaged east of Claremore.

In both instances, crews worked round-the-clock to get power flowing again.