Residents receive help from crews near and far

The past three weeks have been a difficult time for the entire region, as many in the area have had to deal with the loss of power. Nearly every home in Clay County was without power for at least some period of time, with many measuring the gap in weeks, not days.

Assistance came to this area immediately, as energy providers secured the aid of contractors from other parts of the United States to aid local workers in the restoration of electricity. Workers have been brought to Arkansas from Florida, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas, among other states, in an effort to bring back the welcoming lights to many Clay County homes.

As the workers arrived in the area, they were united with others from other regions in several restoration crews. Then, these crews, often made up of workers who had never met prior, were sent out to the storm-affected areas.

With power restored to several homes and work continuing to meet the needs of those homes which remain in the dark, the importance of these outside crews remains at a paramount.

One such crew has been a part of the difficult task of restoring power to the rural residences located on the outskirts west of Greenway. Wayne Smith of Shreveport, La., Gerald Parker of Kilroy, Tex. and Jonathan Gentry of Jacksonville, Tex., have been in Arkansas for the past three weeks. The crew began their work in Arkansas at Harrison, in the northeast section of the state. As efforts improved there, they made their across Arkansas to aid in the restoration progress of Clay County.

"We got the call on a Monday night (Feb. 2)," Parker said. "We left Tuesday morning to come to Arkansas. We've been here ever since."

The crews begin their work each day before the sun rises and routinely work into the night.

"There's a lot to do," Smith said. "There's no shortage of things that have to be done to get power to all these homes here."

As veterans of their trade, the three men have seen their share of devastating acts of nature.

"You got hit hard up here," Smith said. "I haven't seen a lot of damage to homes, but nearly all the poles and lines were wiped out around here. We don't see that too often."

The three men are currently staying in Poplar Bluff, where Clay County Electric has provided lodging at a local motel. The group leaves Poplar Bluff before sunrise every morning to begin their work in Clay County.

In their time here, the members of the crew have not been able to return home. The workers have kept in touch with their families through phone calls and text messages.

"I call home every night to check and see how things are," Parker said.

Though Smith, Parker and Gentry miss their families and their own beds, they're proud to be doing their part to aid local residents.

"I love being here," Gentry said. "I love getting people's lights back on. We all depend on electricity for a lot of things in our homes and I like doing what I can to help people get those things back."

Currently, the crew says there's no definitive schedule set for when their work will be completed or when they'll be able to return home. Once they leave Arkansas, the men will likely be given a few extra days off to recover from their non-stop workload.