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Co-op linemen help Florida storm victims
Hurricane Charley reminded Floridians last month just how tough life can be when a natural disaster wipes out electric service. In 90-plus-degree weather, people had no air conditioning or even fans to stave off the heat and humidity.
One resident, whose apartment was nearly destroyed, told a reporter how she cooked outdoors by heating pots of rice and beans over fires built in concrete blocks.
Gasoline pumps, cash registers, ATMs, water pumps, traffic control devices, security systems, refrigerators and freezers—all were silenced by the category-four hurricane that at this writing is reported to be responsible for 27 deaths.
Florida electric cooperatives serving affected areas are scrambling to rebuild lines and restore electric service as quickly and safely as humanly possible. And they’re making good progress, thanks to utility crews from as far away as Indiana who rushed to help.
Peace River Electric Cooperative, in south central Florida, is being assisted by four Mississippi electric cooperatives: Coast Electric Power Association, based in Bay St. Louis; Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association, Columbia; Singing River Electric, Lucedale; and Southern Pine Electric Power Association, Taylorsville.
Peace River Electric Cooperative representative said the storm destroyed in one afternoon what took the cooperative 60 years to build. The co-op, which serves 10 counties, will have to repair or replace at least 1,000 utility poles.
The work is difficult and dangerous. Severe thunderstorms have been pounding the area, hampering crews’ efforts. Traffic is snarled. Street markers were blown away in some areas, making navigation even trickier for out-of-town utility crews.
In mid-August, officials were predicting full power restoration would take at least another three weeks.
Mississippi’s electric power associations responded quickly to cries for help from Peace River Electric Cooperative. Their assistance is part of a cooperative emergency plan whereby electric cooperatives send crews to other states to lend a hand with large-scale power restoration. Mississippi electric power associations have been assisted by out-of-state crews on numerous such occasions, including the 1994 ice storm and Hurricane Georges.
Our crews are proud of their ability to help ease the suffering of storm victims by restoring electric service. And we’re proud of them for doing it.
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