SMITH ISLAND, Md. — One of the power lines carrying electricity to Smith Island was damaged by high winds over the weekend, according to officials with A&N Electric. The outage has left generators to power the Island in the meantime.
"A&N Electric Cooperative is aware of a broken pole between Tangier and Smith Islands and is prepared to make repairs as soon as conditions allow. Significant ice buildup in and around the islands is creating extremely hazardous conditions for crews at this time," Jay Diem, a representative with the electric company, told WBOC Tuesday.
"The cooperative has standby generators on both Tangier and Smith Islands that are capable of fully powering homes and businesses during emergency situations. Once it is safe for crews to access the area and complete repairs, the broken pole will be addressed as quickly as possible," Diem continued.
In the meantime, residents are conserving electricity wherever possible. Mattie Smith works at the Harborside general store and restaurant, and said they have been operating as normal. However, she said she and other neighbors are making sacrifices at home.
“Cutting back the heat when it's possible, trying to do my laundry sporadically and drawing water, whatever means necessary," Smith said.
Those sacrifices are intended to ensure that generators continue to run smoothly. So far, islanders say the system has held up well.
“The generator switched on right away. We didn't really feel too many effects of it," neighbor Erin Treadaway said. "In an environment like this, you want to know that you're covered."
Despite the disruption, residents say the outage has not shaken the tight-knit island community.
“We plan ahead. We're fine. We take care of each other," Mickey Lambert said. "Everybody looks out for each other. The lady across the street is elderly. My wife cooked her a meal today, brought it over, and made sure they have heat. Plus, I have extra heaters in case people need them."
With much of the bay still iced over, icebreakers have been guiding fuel barges to Smith Island to support generator operations. Maryland Department of Natural Resources officials said one fuel shipment arrived on Monday, and another is planned for later in the week, weather permitting. They're hoping for it to come on either Thursday or Friday.