NAVAJO NATION, AZ — In our increasingly connected lives, it's difficult - maybe even impossible - to imagine what a life without electricity would be like.
It's an issue ABC15 has reported on extensively. In 2020, ABC15 journeyed to the Navajo Nation, shortly after the number of COVID-19 cases had peaked there.
According to officials, things like a lack of electricity, running water, and the ability to social distance accelerated the COVID crisis there, but these infrastructure issues didn't happen overnight.
As the nails get hammered, the quiet rhythm of one Navajo Nation community has been interrupted, but for a good reason: crews from the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority and Salt River Project are on a mission.
"We're constructing new lines to get people power that never had power before or at least not in these locations, explains SRP journeyman lineman Matt Brown.
This is Brown's fourth time taking part in a project called "Light Up Navajo," which is designed to connect more Navajo families to the power grid. It has connected more than 700 homes since it began in 2019
It's helping families just like Ken and Susie Trevino.
"What is that feeling going to be like when you open the fridge and you see all the food for the first time?" we asked the Trevinos.
"Oh, it's just going to be great," Ken said. "We won't have to jump in the car and drive half an hour. It's all right there."
Deenise Becenti with the NTUA sees it first-hand through the "Light Up Navajo" program.
"This one lady said, 'I'm going to make some toast,' and you don't think about things like that," explains Becenti. "It certainly makes people grateful that they do have power and to understand there are American citizens that don't have the ability to turn on the lights at night."
It's a problem that has affected the Navajo for generations.
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"I could point back to the 1930s and the President Roosevelt Administration. They had the Rural Electrification Act where they had power across America and the Navajo Nation was never a beneficiary of that act, so as a result, a lot of homes ended up not being connected."
There was also something called, "The Bennett Freeze" that was in place from 1966 to 2009.
According to the U.S. Dept. of Interior's Indian Affairs division, the freeze stopped most development on a 1.5-million-acre area where there was a land dispute between the Navajo and Hopi tribes.
Under the freeze, homes, businesses, roads, schools, and utilities were not built, although there were some exceptions, but both tribes had to agree and sign off.
And although the Bennett Freeze went away 15 years ago, that area impacted is still struggling with a vast array of infrastructure issues even beyond electricity.
In 2020, ABC15 reported on the issues with running water on the Navajo Nation. According to Navajo officials, about 40% of families on the reservation do not have running water and must get their water from wells and then transport it back to their homes.
It's another one of the issues on the Navajo Nation that can't solved overnight.
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For now, partnerships like the one with SRP are helping the Navajo Nation not only connect more families but also move forward.
"Do you feel like you and your team are part of the solution?" we asked SRP lineman Brown.
"We're sure trying to be," Brown replied. "That's all you can do is your best."
"Does it feel good to make a lasting impact in this community?" we asked.
"Yeah," Brown said. "Hopefully for generations to come."
See Part II of Nick's series showing SRP and other utility members in action, and witness the touching moment Ken and Susie Trevino are connected to the power grid here.
