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Working together, electric cooperatives restore power to Missouri storm victims
When Mississippi’s electric power associations issued a call for help in restoring power after Hurricane Katrina, electric cooperatives in Missouri were among the first to respond.
Missouri was one of 22 states that sent emergency work crews and equipment to aid our hurricane recovery. I can’t imagine how long the job would have taken without their assistance.
So last month, when one of the worst ice storms on record knocked out electric service to some 120,000 electric co-op members in southwest Missouri, we seized the opportunity to reciprocate. At this writing, 12 Mississippi electric power associations have sent 91 workers and equipment to help two Missouri cooperatives restore power to their members.
Ozark Electric, based in Mount Vernon, Mo., was one of the co-ops hardest hit by the storm; more than 20,000 of its 30,000 members lost power.
Heavy accumulations of ice—up to 3 inches thick—added tons of weight to power lines. Poles and lines snapped under the strain, and what ice alone didn’t bring down, wind or falling trees often did.
More than 1,500 linemen worked in icy conditions to restore service in Missouri.
In an emergency situation like this one, electric cooperatives must know how to restore power quickly and safely. To this end, the Electric Power Associations of Mississippi in 1991 brought together representatives of electric cooperatives in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama to share ideas for an emergency work plan. The goal was to learn from each other’s experiences, share problems and challenges, review past responses and devise new ways to help each other during major power outages.
The meeting was so productive and well received it became an annual event. Last fall, our annual emergency work plan conference attracted representatives from 17 states.
By working together, electric cooperatives find better, more efficient solutions to problems common to most emergency situations. For instance, you might be surprised to know that one of the most challenging aspects of restoring power during a major outage is not the actual hands-on line work. Instead, it’s how to feed and house hundreds—thousands, in the case of Katrina—of visiting crewmen. Electric power associations primarily serve rural areas, and lodging can be scarce away from larger towns and cities. But when we put our heads together, we find solutions that work.
Speed is of the essence during an outage emergency, and electric power associations need to know they can get the emergency assistance they need to begin the restoration of service. When an electric power association determines power restoration will take its own work force more than a day or two to complete, its management can ask for reinforcements from unaffected electric co-ops in the state (and beyond). The electric power association suffering the outage will eventually get the opportunity to return the favor.
We strongly believe an emergency plan based on cooperation and mutual aid works best for our consumers. It is, after all, all about them.
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