After three weeks spent restoring power in Hawaii, Southern California Edison transmission lineman Mike Watson knew the first thing he’d do upon returning home to his wife and his 11-year-old son.

“Give them a hug,” he said. “I just want to see my family.”

Watson was among the 64-person team of SCE lineworkers and support personnel who traveled to Hawaii Island after Hurricane Lala damaged Hawaiian Electric’s system and left tens of thousands of customers without power. Crews responded to the call for mutual assistance, an industry practice in which utilities share trained workers and equipment following major emergencies.

Together, Hawaiian Electric and SCE crews installed more than 20 poles and 30,000 feet of conductor. They raised or adjusted more than 85 spans of wire, repaired more than 20 leaning poles, replaced corroded insulators on more than 20 transmission structures and patrolled 100-plus miles of power lines with drones. The teamwork continued as Tropical Storm Moke brought more rain to already saturated parts of Hawaii Island while repairs from Lala remained underway.

“All of our work got completed safely, with no injuries and every last customer’s power restored,” said Travis Parks, an SCE principal manager in Transmission and Distribution, who serves as the mutual assistance manager.

The work took crews into muddy jungles and remote areas.

“We had to get creative,” said Watson. “We were all covered in mud, and we just stayed positive together. Everybody made it through, and that moment will stick with me.”

The response from residents is another memory that has left a lasting impression.

“People would come out and wave, they wanted to hug us,” he said. “They were so grateful, and it made us work harder.”

While in Hawaii, Watson missed several family trips and a concert he had planned to attend with his wife.

“We were introduced to the linework lifestyle the day our son was born, when Mike left that same night for two weeks of his lineman apprenticeship training, so I’ve had a lot of practice holding down the homefront,” said Corri Watson. “People don’t always realize the physical, mental and emotional toll this work takes on lineworkers and their families, but there’s also an incredible amount of pride and dedication. I’m proud that he’s willing to go where he’s needed, and just want him to come back safe and sound.”

Watson and his team did exactly that — touching down at Ontario International Airport on Friday.

“We left as a crew, and we’ve come home as a crew,” he said.

While many are settling back home, the work in Hawaii is not over — a separate mutual assistance request came in from Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative after Hurricane Lowell brought damaging winds, heavy rain and widespread outages. Over the weekend, a new batch of 25 SCE lineworkers and support staff landed in Kaua‘i to join Hawaiian Electric in responding to the call.

“The whole team felt a strong sense of purpose as we helped with these restoration efforts on the Big Island and were encouraged by the community,” said Rebecca Relyea, a senior advisor at SCE who leads the coordination of mutual assistance. “Now that we’ve wrapped up our work there, we’re carrying all that experience in new terrain and tough weather toward the next lift as we help repair storm damage in Kaua‘i.”

For more information, visit sce.com/safety.

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