MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WTVF) — From a helicopter, a specialized crew is making repairs to more than three dozen transmission towers and 17 lines damaged in Middle Tennessee by the Super Tuesday tornado.
"It gives us a bird's eye view," Cody Young said. "When we have damage we can get right on top of it and access the situation. [It's] a whole lot cleaner and neater and it's a whole lot quicker."
Young is an air lineman who worked his way up the ladder after starting as a lineman apprentice in 2003. He does not live in Middle Tennessee, but his job with the Tennessee Valley Authority often brings him to the area.
He was shocked by the tornado damage.
"Where it struck out here, [it] just seems like it was super strong and super devastating," Young said.
On the job, Young rotates with other air lineman to make repairs to damaged transmission lines.
"We have to be vigilant because we are flying a helicopter. You know you don't want to take risks and be unprepared when you're out there," Young said.
Clayton Dann flies the helicopter.
"People think it is dangerous," Dann said. "It's muscle memory that you develop over time and experience doing it. Your body knows what to do when it needs to do it."
The pilot pays close attention to the lineman while he hovers by the side of a tower.
"Just watching the lineman's body language, watching his eyes and knowing where to go and watching his hands and essentially knowing where to put him based on that," Dann said.
After about a week in the area, the crew is hopeful their work will be done by Sunday.
"We should be getting really close to everybody who is able to have power having it now," Young said.
A portion of I-40 will close Saturday for repairs to the lines over the interstate. Click here for information on the closures.
