Some of the same things that make living in Mountain Brook so pleasant – the topography, foliage and seclusion – present challenges for Alabama Power crews seeking to restore electricity after strong storms swept through the area Tuesday night.

Take, for instance, these images of crews working off Glencoe Road. Fallen trees, downed lines, blown transformers, and snapped poles are challenges enough. Add to that undergrowth, ravines, hills and other difficult-to-get-to areas and it’s easy to see how restoring power can be arduous work.

More than 40 personnel made up three overhead distribution line crews, a transmission line team and other specialty crews. Special equipment had to be brought in to replace the four broken poles and multiple spans of wire downed by the storms.

Just getting basic equipment into the affected areas has required clear cutting, makeshift bridge building and pure brute force and strength. The loss of bucket trucks is a reminder of why pole climbing remains part of linemen’s repertoire.

Even the usually routine job of emplacing a new pole becomes a problem-solving event to first get the pole and equipment in place and then another exercise to get the pole up.

“Due to our terrain, number of trees, dense vegetation and with many power lines at the rear of lots, it can be a challenge for Alabama Power to restore service quickly after a major storm in some areas of Mountain Brook,” said Mountain Brook City Manager Sam Gaston. “Unfortunately some of the same things that make our city so beautiful also make it tough for these hard-working crews.”

Even in places where bucket trucks can go, repairs of poles, lines and transformers can be problematic.

As always, safety has to be a top concern for crews working to restore power. As driven as many are to assist customers, care has to be taken to do things the right way so everyone can return home safely at the end of the day.

Parts of Mountain Brook are among the Southside and over-the-mountain areas of Birmingham that account for 304 customers who were still without power in the Alabama Power service area as of 6 p.m. Thursday.

More than 91 percent of the 115,000 affected customers had their power restored within 24 hours after the storms. As of 6 p.m. Thursday, 99.7 percent of power had been restored in the Birmingham area. All power is expected to be restored by 10 p.m. Thursday.