For much of the summer, Southern California Edison crews have battled ongoing high heat while maintaining and repairing the infrastructure that’s critical to delivering power to the company’s 5 million customers.

Now, lineworkers and Incident Management Teams are preparing to respond to widespread rain showers and thunderstorms as Hurricane Hilary gathers strength in the Pacific Ocean off the Mexican coast.

These days, SCE crews are prepared for a multitude of weather conditions.

Hurricane Hilary, potentially the first tropical storm to hit California in 84 years, is expected to travel north and impact large portions of SCE's 50,000-square-mile service area this weekend, with the potential for flooding and high winds.

“We are watching the progression of this storm very carefully,” said Thomas Jacobus, SCE principal manager of Business Resiliency. “We are collaborating with departments across the company to coordinate efforts in preparation for any storm-related risks.”

Starting Saturday evening, thunderstorms could bring rain rates of one inch per hour or higher, with possible flooding in local mountains, deserts and recent burn scar areas. Widespread sustained winds of 40 to 50 mph with higher gusts are expected.

“Although the computer models are calculating the strength and overall trajectory of the system very well, the trajectory is still changing by about 50 to 100 miles from one model run to the next, and that can create huge differences in where the main impacts of the storm will be,” said Paul Roller, senior manager of Weather Services.

SCE is also consulting with other utilities and regional emergency management teams while evaluating staffing levels to ensure they are adequate to respond to customer needs.

As preparations are made for the pending storm, SCE crews have regularly dealt with multiple high-heat days. In San Bernardino recently, the thermometer read 102 degrees, but it felt much hotter along a busy stretch of blacktop. A five-person SCE field crew was preparing to replace an aging power pole while working to minimize the impact of a repair-related power outage on customers.

“We try to catch problems before equipment fails, which would impact the customer a lot more,” said Justin Surprenant, SCE field supervisor for the Redlands district.

At a safety tailboard meeting, SCE foreman Mike Duarte and his crew determined they could replace the pole while keeping the power lines energized so customers wouldn’t lose service.

“Today, we’re going to do the job hot,” Surprenant said. “If we have to do some switching around to keep customers energized, we will.”

The crew began its work unloading the new pole and digging a hole next to the old one. Three lineworkers on the ground used the combination of a remote-controlled arm attached to a truck and human muscle to maneuver the new pole into place. Two lineworkers in elevated buckets carefully detached the energized lines from the aging pole and moved them onto the new one.

The job was completed by mid-afternoon, and no customer lost power.

“Safety is number one with Edison,” said Surprenant, a 25-year SCE veteran. “It's on everyone's mind each day we go out and do the job.”

Reflecting on the multiple challenges now facing SCE crews, Surprenant said: “Not everyone can do this work. It’s a strenuous task. These guys are all athletes to me; they keep pushing through day and night, nonstop.”

SCE offers important safety tips to prepare for approaching storms and flooding as well as tips to survive high heat.