Restoring Power in Jamaica with Rodney Braddy and Jacob Tiefenthaler

In mid-January, while Missouri was settling into winter, CREC linemen Rodney Braddy and Jacob Tiefenthaler were boarding a plane for a mission unlike any other. They traded the Midwest cold for the sweltering heat of Jamaica. Not for a vacation, but to answer a call for help after Hurricane Melissa devastated seventy-five percent of the island's power grid this past October. The Jamaica Public Service Company contacted NRECA, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, requesting assistance. NRECA's international program usually focuses on first-time electrification in developing countries, but this was different. This was about getting the power back on. For nearly a month, Rodney and Jake worked alongside other Missouri linemen and local crews to rebuild what the storm had destroyed. Today we're talking with them about the sweat, the challenging Caribbean terrain and the incredible people they met along the way.   Thank you for tuning in to Plugged In from Cuivre River Electric Cooperative. This episode was hosted by Mary Wilson and Rod Smerkar. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Share your ideas at [email protected]. And don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode.