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23 Comments

  1. This is indeed reassuring, however, here in Montana, we lose power several times a year. Without crews to fix it, the outages could last for days, or longer. Clearing trees off the lines is a big deal. We’ll need those linemen. Of course being off grid, I usually don’t notice, but if the power goes down and stays down locally, many people will not have another way to heat their homes. The main thing is that it should stay up regionally. Thanks for the article.

  3. Thank you for the inside news on power stations . I live near two smaller dams and always thought those guys running the dams would make sure that their local home town always had power . Because that is where their family and friends live.

  6. If you would like to know the voltage (DC) induced on a power line (or anything that acts as antennae) then fully examine the following GitHub.com drop boxes. — ‘EMP’- USAF document # AD 777841.PDF by Terry C. Chapman. Coding has been accomplished by 3 PhDs via OCR on the original FORTRAN coding. We verified the computer code – now on ‘GitHub.com’ for 6448 volts/meter at https://github.com/LAGridCoalition, and a partial proof of 50,000 V/m & an indication of 100,000 V/m – at https://github.com/drforbin/EEMP-MODELING –Subject is High Altitude – ElectroMagnetic Pulse & Nuclear Physics: Also a New – Digital Library for “HEMP” & as PDFs – is now available at – https://github.com/LAGridCoalition/HEMP-document-library The Louisiana Grid Coalition members have done this work. “Henry Newton Independent Security Professional & Engineer “on LinkedIn”. – http://www.lagridcoalition.org – NDRC-

  8. Hey Journeyman, thanks for the write-up, pretty fascinating stuff.

    What’s the average age of the guys working in the hydroelectric dams? Linemen seem to be younger crews and probably won’t be as hard hit by the coronavirus as us older geezers, so I’m wondering about the age of the guys in your line of work.

    1. St Funogas, this is Mama bear. I found a source for some non GMO sugar beets seed. A local place is getting some shipped in next week. Call Christopher’s Nursery in Lakeside Arizona at 928-368-6723. Chris said he can make arrangements to mail it.

      1. Thanks a bunch Mama Bear. I tracked some seed down at a place called Mabe’s Warehouse. It was supposed to arrived today but… everything’s delayed. I’ve written down Christopher’s Nursery info in case it never shows up for one reason or another, or they discover it’s from a GMO contaminated batch as well. Thanks again and good luck with your sugar beets. I’m trying sorghum this year as well. 🙂

    2. Journeyman here. As as update, things are pretty much going as I thought they would. No one in my geographical area is sick yet, but we’re taking measures to keep the lights on.

      I’ll say while I’m no longer “the kid” now that I’m in my mid-30’s, I’m still one of the younger employees. Off the top of my head, I’d estimate the median age of our workers to be in their early 40’s. Apprenticeships have been making a large impact (especially for me as I’m the result of one!). From what I’ve seen, after the 2009 financial crisis, some highschools have begun encouraging them. This brings in kids and young adults who aren’t willing to go into debt or maybe got to college and found out it wasn’t quite what they were after. As a graduate, I’ll assert it is not just where the “dumb kids” go. These are serious courses and require a significant amount of math, science, theory, writing, etc. The median age in my company and others is slowly drifting lower as the previous generation retires and a new batch comes in. We need more engineers, doctors, nurses, and doers, but I’m not so sure a yoga major has much to offer right now. Don’t waste four-plus years on an underwater basket-weaving degree. These can be six-figure jobs that I didn’t even know existed when I originally signed up for college. Talk to your kids!

  11. Excellent – Thank you a million for writing this.

    I would love to encourage others with knowledge in other critical industries to report in as this gentleman has done.
    Natural Gas, Oil, Refineries for gasoline and diesel, grocery distribution.
    We already know that our government has utterly failed us on both properly stocking PPE and on the coronavirus testing.
    Good to hear that maybe SOME other critical areas wont be as incompetent.

    On the front line of hospitals – just South of the redoubt region, I can tell you that ALL anesthesiologists are just below full-panic mode.
    ALL docs – except for maybe dermatologists (just a old joke) are bracing for impact.
    EVERY SINGLE hospital has failed to properly stock PPE (masks etc) and they are ALREADY being “rationed” – so MANY MANY docs WILL get sick, and many will be seriously ill – or dead. The weaker of soul will abandon post – we have no idea how many that is at this time.
    It is a forgone conclusion that we will be out of ventilators.
    MANY anesthesiologists have done the same thing that JWR recommended and purchased a Oxygen Concentrator to be used at home as a last line of defense against death. Many did this in January when they saw Wuhan.
    Docs are super stressed out and worried about dying and leaving their families without support or income.
    They are, in many many cases being treated like cannon fodder – just sent in without adequate PPE and receiving HUGE doses of virus all at once, and being overwhelmed by it.
    We would all rather face some other challenge…. this one is horrible because it takes out the providers and their families…. who will care once the caregivers are gone?

    In my state they pulled the med students from helping. This is because of “insurance reasons” CALL YOUR GOVERNOR and get them insurance – we NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK. The younger med students are less susceptible to being seriously ill – we NEED THEM. Get the governor to use their emergency powers to cover ALL med students and ALL nursing students and ALL retired practitioners so they can go work to help save lives – the governors need to take care of this with the stroke of a pen.

    PLEASE PRAY that people isolate themselves and make this a slower burn – so that the hospitals might have some prayer of keeping up.
    PLEASE PRAY that we don’t get sick and make our families sick.

    PLEASE FIND WAYS TO HELP!
    Ask any medical personnel you know how YOU might be able to help — tell them you stand ready and willing to do anything. Make up beds, provide basic nursing support… get yourself geared up to help the elderly in your neighborhood.

    PLEASE MAKE A PLAN on what you are going to do to help households where BOTH parents are sick – who will tend the children? How will you protect yourself while doing so?

    Remember – the Lord has a special place for those who care for children.

    BUY Pool shock – Buy empty spray bottles by the dozen.
    JWR can you please re-post a chart showing the percentage of bleach, and various concentrations of pool shock (calcium hyperclorate) to mix with water to make a disinfectant spray?
    The hospitals DO NOT have enough in their clinics or on the floors to combat this.

    WE ARE RUNNING OUT of disinfecting wipes for our computers and equipment and patient rooms.
    We need to switch to spraying something that there is a HUGE supply of.

    If you know some medical personnel who is in the hospital right now fighting this – donate some of these spray bottles with the bleach solution in it to them – tell them to bring them back to you when empty and you will refill.
    Better yet – make up a bunch of gallons of proper mix to give to them.

    You can use the same concentration mix to spray down YOUR and your neighbors packages.

    Consider buying a UV germicidal lamp – this can be used to help “rotate” N95 masks. Blast them on either side of about an hour – then let sit for as many days as you can – 9 days being the “gold standard” 4 days is probably sufficient.

    OFFER THIS TO YOUR LOCAL CLINIC – we are RUNNING OUT OF MASKS.
    They won’t know how this works – but you can teach them. Tossing masks after a single use isn’t an option at this time.

    Folks in the grocery stores that stock shelves are getting overworked and overwhelmed. Find a way to help them. See what they need.

    They are hugely exposed to this from all the public contact.

    Find a way to help their families if they get sick.

    Fire and EMS and police WILL be getting sick…
    The EMS service is already doing TONS of transports here in my area of the infected to hospitals…. they WILL be getting exposed.

    Folks in the various agencies are worried about gang activity ticking up.
    THINK of a way to help combat that.

    While hunkering down – FIND A WAY you can help your neighborhood.
    DO SOMETHING EACH DAY.

    Friends in Christ….. just think what He would want us to do at this time.

    Godbless

    2. Thanks Tom, any specs on what type of UV bulb works for coronavirus’s? I have no expirience with this and I see there are a lot of different options out there. Thanks.

      1. I use this one with a fluorescent work light.
        If you can find a Fluorescent work lamp that takes this “two pin” base that matched the lamp – you will be good to go.
        Just be careful it’s a real germicidal lamp that looks ugly and for industrial use – and not some gadget. (which may or may not work well)
        https://www.amazon.com/Philips-325126-9-watt-Germicidal-2-Pin/dp/B00172Y0H4

        Perhaps if you find a good combo you can post here for others.
        I’m back to work now – I’m sorry I don’t have time to track down a matching lamp base currently – but I imagine others will be grateful if you do.
        Thank you

        1. I wanted to mention – these lights give off A LOT of UV which is very very bad for your eyes and skin – use caution – don’t look at them and don’t keep your skin under them for more than a few seconds at most to rotate what your are disinfecting.
          I wear sunglasses and gloves just to be safe.

  12. Actually, the lights have been out on the towers that cross the Columbia from Sacajawea park to Two Rivers. We are in more danger of someone hitting the towers with a plane and taking out the main power source from Ice Harbor.

  13. Journeyman,
    Excellent piece. It illustrates the American can do spirit and a lot of our fellow American’s regard for their fellow citizens. The Cajun Navy comes to mind in hurricane’s. Thank God it’s still out their .

  15. Hydro operator here –

    Recently we received a NERC mandate to crosstrain operations procedures to maintenance & electrical departments due to the virus, for a ‘just in case’ scenerio. I’ve been doing this type of work for 30 years, and yes the average age of people in this profession are of the more senior vintage.

    Can concur with most of what is written in this article, including reading it during a nightshift 🙂 Hydro and the dams are very well built due to the flood issues, imo they are over-engineered even compared to some of the boiler/steam power plants I’ve worked at. It’s true that staffing levels have constantly been shaved over the years, but at least where I’m at, I’m confident things will keep on running even if we lost up to 2/3rds of our crew.

    Utility owns the transmission lines, and due to the fires in CA these past few years, they are regularly inspecting & even upgrading some of them (230kV here).

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