A powerful windstorm blew through Chanute Kansas on Monday April 3rd, 2023, leaving roughly 2,000 residents without power. It was reported that the storm produced straight line winds of up to 100 mph, which caused wide-spread damage.
On Tuesday Management at McPherson BPU were contacted by staff at the Kansas Municipal Utilities, who facilitates the Kansas Mutual Aid Program for Utilities (KSMAP), to see if McPherson would be able to mobilize a crew and equipment to help restore Chanute’s power.
The McPherson BPU responded by sending five linemen, a digger derrick, and a bucket truck. “It is nice to be able to help other utilities in these situations; being able to restore someone’s power is why we went to line school.” stated Superintendent of Electric Operations, Lenny Swaim.
BPU’s crew worked two days alongside crews from Iola, Coffeyville, Pratt, and Gardner to help replace poles which helped to restore a large percentage of their customer base before the weekend.