In September 2024, Hurricane Helene put the cooperative spirit to the ultimate test, affecting more lives and destroying more electric cooperative property and infrastructure than any storm in co-op history.
NRECA contributing writer Steve Johnson visited 13 co-ops in eight states this summer and interviewed CEOs, lineworkers, communicators and support personnel at many others, asking them to reflect on the storm, the restoration work and the lessons they learned in the process.
This series of stories looks at Helene’s aftermath from multiple perspectives, all centered around a common theme—in the face of catastrophe, cooperatives band together as one family, always looking out for their members.
Overview, Part 1: ‘The Storm That Sticks Around With Us for a Long, Long Time’
Published Sept. 3, 2025
In our first story in this series, co-op leaders reflect on the initial moments as Helene churned its way through Florida and Georgia and how the co-op family banded together for the massive restoration effort.
Overview, Part 2: ‘Never Thought We’d Ever See Anything Like That’
Published Sept. 9, 2025
In the second installment this series, we look at what happened as Helene moved farther inland. Hear from co-ops in North Carolina and South Carolina about the brutal impacts of Helene as it tore through areas of their states not normally prone to hurricanes.
Rivers Rerouted, A Truck in the Water: Mountain Electric Remembers Helene
Published Sept. 15, 2025
The third story in this series looks at how Hurricane Helene washed away roads, homes, churches and jobs at a cooperative that serves parts of Tennessee and North Carolina.
The Ties That Bind: A South Carolina Co-op Was In the Dark, but It Was Not Alone
Published: Sept. 23, 2025
Helene caused massive devastation at Little River Electric Cooperative in South Carolina, but it couldn’t blemish the principle of cooperation among cooperatives. Learn how the bond between Little River and Horry Electric Cooperative grew stronger in the face of the historic storm.
‘All Eyes on Us’: How Co-op Communicators Rose to the Occasion in the Aftermath of Helene
Published: Sept. 30, 2025
Helene put more than 1.4 million co-op members in the dark, and communicating with every one of them was crucial. Communicators’ diligence, transparency and creativity—and reliance on the sixth cooperative principle—were key to keeping members and media informed.
Coming soon
The next installment of our series puts the spotlight on lineworkers who traveled from states far outside the Southeast to help with Helene restoration efforts.
Banner Image Courtesy Withlacooochee River Electric Cooperative