For 10 days Brian Drazin was in the dark. In fact, his whole town was in the dark – no lights, no power. And there were other shortages, too, including gasoline. And it was starting to get cold.

Folks in Fair Haven, New Jersey, knew a storm named Sandy was coming. But Drazin and his neighbors couldn’t comprehend the immense amount of damage this “superstorm” would unleash on their quiet, waterside hamlet.

“It was like Armageddon,” he said.

And then, Alabama Power showed up.

So began an extraordinary relationship between representatives of a Deep South utility and the people in a far-off community eagerly awaiting their assistance.

Return To Fair Haven from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

While Alabama Power crews worked long days to bring some normalcy back to Fair Haven and nearby towns, local residents stepped up to support their newfound friends. They put posters in windows, thanking Alabama Power for the help. And they pulled out their backyard grills, gathered in a town parking lot and started cooking burgers for the visiting linemen.

Drazin, an attorney, got to know David Huddleston during those tough times. Huddleston was leading an Alabama Power team that was dispatched to New Jersey and spent days working in Fair Haven.

Brian Drazin, David Huddleston and his daughter Kathryn, during a meeting in New York City. (contributed)

Some eight years later, Drazin and Huddleston are still in touch. They often check in with each other’s families when the weather turns bad – in New Jersey or Alabama. But they also call over the holidays and special events. The two couples have even met to break bread since Sandy.

“I consider him a lifetime friend, and I choose my friends wisely,” Drazin said.

“He has become a special friend,” Huddleston said, mirroring Drazin’s words.

So, it was particularly heartwarming when Drazin learned that Alabama Power was back in New Jersey last week, helping get the lights back on – again. This time, it was to restore power following Tropical Storm Isaias.

Drazin said the tropical storm itself wasn’t much different from Sandy, “except that there wasn’t the storm surge.”

He said the weather after the two storms, however, was strikingly different. Sandy struck in late October and was followed days later by a nor’easter that dropped several inches of snow. Tropical Storm Isaias was followed by days of hot and muggy weather. Alabama Power crews experienced both extremes during the two recovery operations.

This go-round, power was out for five days at Drazin’s home. Some of his neighbors were without power for a week. Alabama Power crews didn’t quite reach Fair Haven this time; instead, they were working in the adjacent town of Red Bank and nearby communities.

Alabama Power crews assisted companies in New Jersey in power restoration efforts following Tropical Storm Isaias. (contributed)

“We got guys from Ohio,” Drazin said. In all, some 8,000 personnel representing utilities from 17 states were in the area, helping Jersey Central Power and Light and their customers recover from Isaias.

The operation reminded Drazin of his friends from Alabama Power, and how much he appreciated what the crews from all the assisting utilities were doing to help New Jersey.

“We hoped you would come our way again,” Drazin said. During Sandy, “You had an exceptional group of guys here. The quality of the people you sent, the way they interacted with the community – it was unique.”

Red Bank Mayor Pasquale Menna had special words of praise. His town had its power restored by Alabama Power workers following both Sandy and Isaias. This time, about a third of the city was dark for several days.

“I want to express the appreciation of all the residents of Red Bank for Alabama Power’s support of our community,” said Menna, who has been mayor for 14 years and was president of the City Council the prior 18 years.

“We are a center in Monmouth County for commerce as well as health services and transportation. It is vital to have our utilities working without interruption,” Menna said. “The support Alabama Power provided was invaluable in very challenging times, when resources were stretched to the limit. We are grateful you came such long distances to help us.”

Others in the community also recalled the extraordinary support of Alabama Power following Superstorm Sandy and praised the company’s return.

Brian Drazin wears a hardhat signed by an Alabama Power crew and given to him. (file)

Local writer, editor and blogger Elaine Van Develde posted how “some old friends” and “heroes” from Superstorm Sandy were back again to help.

“Things were dark with a chilly sting in those post-Sandy belated Halloween horror days, but Alabama Power brought with it a big, warm bright spot,” she wrote on her site, http://rumsonfairhavenretrospect.com/. “Everyone basked in it. They shed the light weary residents needed to see their way out of a natural disaster catastrophe.

“Everyone became friends in the crisis,” Van Develde wrote. “And now, there’s a bit of a homecoming — this time masked, sanitized and sans hugs. The looming presence, though, is a big, fat hug of cheer.”

Drazin marveled at what utility workers do for each other and for distant communities when the weather turns dark.

“When this kind of thing happens, and people come from so far away, leave their families to help you, even with COVID – It is really special. I stopped every truck to say thank you.”

This year’s return trip by Alabama Power to New Jersey turned out to be just the first stop for more than 200 company personnel. After completing restoration work there, the team turned west and rolled to Illinois, to help restore power to customers of Commonwealth Edison. Residents of that state, and several others across the Midwest, were battered earlier this week by an extraordinarily violent derecho wind event.

Alabama Power crews are in Illinois helping to restore power after a derecho storm. (contributed)

Like New Jersey, it is a return trip to Illinois. The last visit was in July 2011, when Alabama Power crews helped restore service in the town of Gurnee. This time, crews are on the southwest side of Chicago; they are expected to stay in the area through the weekend.

A little more than two years ago, Alabama Power crews were in Puerto Rico helping get the lights back on in communities devastated by Hurricane Maria.

Alabama Power crews are well-seasoned to restoring power following all kinds of weather events, from hurricanes to ice storms to destructive tornadoes – thanks to the widely varying conditions Alabamians are subjected to throughout the year. Their professionalism, known throughout the industry, keep the crews in demand to assist other utilities under long-standing mutual-assistance agreements.

“We’ll go where we’re needed, when we’re needed, as long as we have adequate resources to maintain reliable service at home,” said Kristie Barton, a general manager in the company’s Power Delivery organization. “And when the situation gets serious here, we can reach out to other utilities to help us.”

Learn more about how Alabama Power restores power after major storms, and how you can stay prepared for severe weather at www.alabamapower.com. Click on “Our Company” and then “Outages & Storm Center.”