Hanford Mission Integration Solutions mobilized quickly after a recent severe windstorm hit the Hanford Site to coordinate repairs and restore power to more than 100 affected service locations.

The windstorm hit the Washington site in late February, causing extensive damage to its electrical infrastructure, according to an April 11U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management news release. The storm was characterized by wind gusts of up to 65 mph at cleanup operations areas and up to 87 mph at higher elevations during its peak.

“The damage from this storm was unlike anything we’ve seen at the Hanford Site,” Brian Vance, manager of EM’s Office of River Protection and Richland Operations Office, said in the release. “The quick response by HMIS and the support from our One Hanford team enabled us to maintain operations with only a brief disruption.”

HMIS crews repaired eight broken utility poles, seven damaged pole-top transformers and more than 60 other affected transformers, the release reported. Additionally, HMIS crews restored power to 89 service locations that day. 

The remaining outages were prioritized and addressed with the help of other teams, according to the release. Portable generators were used to help provide electricity in some areas to maintain critical operations until the crews could fully restore the power.

“Thanks to our preparations for 24/7 waste treatment operations and a forward-thinking risk-management analysis a couple years ago, we had the equipment needed to make the repairs in our warehouses,” HMIS President Bob Wilkinson said in the release. “We were able to get Hanford’s systems back up and running in a few days, where it probably would’ve taken 45 to 90 days a few years ago. 

"I’m incredibly proud of the way our teams responded and how efficiently and effectively we were able to complete this work,” Wilkinson added, according to the release.