WESTMINSTER, Md. — Using helicopters to thread power lines is a niche business but important, especially if thousands of people are stuck without electircity because of it.
Lisa Johansson works for a company handling that kind of work, she just happens to live a few miles from route 140.
"Living two miles away from Westminster we had severe storms, possible tornadoes, and then on social media I saw the poles down on 140," said Johansson.
She was able to share those pictures with her company based in Georgia, and then immediately got to work booking airfare, crews and hotels for the work ahead.
Having a Carroll County resident handle the response got the job done faster.
"Knowing the hotels in the area, the men I had to get in and I had to do it quickly, so I knew to contact the hotel right away being that other contractors were probably in the area needing rooms." said Johansson.
Although there was no damage to her own home, Johansson got to witness first hand how the team responded to a disaster.
"I've seen the helicopters in the air but never actually on the job site, it's amazing to see the expertise of our pilot, Mike Woolsly, how quickly he got it done," said Johansson.
The power poles are back up and most of the damage has been cleared from the storm.
