Alabama Power employees among those stranded during Winter Storm Leon
While Alabama Power crews braved harsh conditions to battle the limited number of outages caused by Winter Storm Leon, more than 1,000 employees were stranded overnight at the company’s corporate headquarters in downtown Birmingham, and at other company facilities. Many employees who rescued children from day care or schools that closed early brought them to their offices for the night when they could not get home.
In addition to the employees stuck in their offices, many other employees worked through the night, assisting customers and communicating with them on the phone and via social media, supporting storm operations, and ensuring the lights stayed on at homes and businesses across the state.
The company’s Building Services group did what they could to make the unexpected overnight guests as comfortable as possible. Here are some photos of employees and their family members during their surprising winter storm sleepover.
This wasn’t “Take Your Daughter to Work Day;” Parents who picked up their children early from schools and daycares had nowhere else to go.
Alabama Power corporate headquarters in Birmingham
Ice and snow made Birmingham’s network of roads and overpasses hit-and-miss for travelers.
Pedestrians had free reign of the city — many Birmingham streets were either empty, or full of abandoned cars going nowhere.
The newly-created “dinner shift” at the Atrium Cafe was a hit — and at the time, the only game in town.
Logistics matter: quick thinking and hustle helped rustle up blankets and pillows to make the night more comfortable.
Some offices became bedrooms with the addition of an air mattress, but not everyone was so lucky.
Field crews buttoned up with every layer they could, working through more than two days with temperatures below freezing.
Many Alabama Power linemen have experience in these conditions, having been deployed to help other states through ice storms.
