Line Crews Lean on Cooperative Spirit in the Wake of Helene’s Destruction
PublishedSeptember 30, 2024
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Steven Johnson
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Line Crews Lean on Cooperative Spirit in the Wake of Helene’s Destruction
When chunks of your electric cooperative system are sitting in a river at the base of a mountain, you know restoring power to members will be a demanding task.
That is the challenge some co-ops faced as repairs from Hurricane Helene’s damage stretched into their fourth day on Monday. But co-op officials across the Southeast said that thousands of lineworkers are tackling the challenge with the cooperative spirit.
At Blue Ridge Energy, based in Lenoir, North Carolina, an estimated 6,800 miles of the co-op’s 8,500 miles of line are damaged, and the number of broken poles grows as workers conduct aerial assessments flying over impassable roads.
Tri-County Electric Cooperative in Florida is overcoming its third hurricane in 14 months. (Photo By: TCEC/Rebecca Vann Photography)
York Electric Co-op lineman Graham Hennessey holds his 2-month-old daughter, Madelyn, during a brief break from work to restore power in South Carolina on Oct. 1. (Photo By: Erin P. Nichols)
Linemen from Claverack REC in Wysox, Pennsylvania—including one who celebrated his wedding just on Saturday—are assisting with restoration efforts in North Carolina. (Photo Courtesy: Rebecca Allen/Claverack REC)
A crew from Burleson, Texas-based United Cooperative Services stopped for a photo before assisting with mutual aid restoration efforts. (Photo Courtesy: United Cooperative Services)
Cuivre River Electric Cooperative lineworkers pose for a photo before heading to Georgia to assist with restoration efforts. (Photo Courtesy: Cuivre River EC)
A lineman works after dark in Millen, Georgia-based Planters EMC territory on Oct. 1. (Photo Courtesy: Planters EMC)
Suwannee Valley EC crews worked into the night on Oct. 1. The co-op posted Oct. 2 on Faceebook that power has been restored to more than 25,000—nearly 90%—of its consumer members and that nearly 1,500 crewmembers are working in its service territory. (Photo Courtesy: SVEC)
A tribute to lineworkers in Chapin, South Carolina, earlier this week. (Photo Courtesy: Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina)
Crews continued working for the sixth straight day in hard-hit Suwannee Valley EC territory in Florida on Oct. 1. (Photo Courtesy: Suwannee Valley EC)
A tent city on Sept. 30 houses 200 lineworkers to restore power at Planters EMC in Millen, Georgia. (Photo By: Planters EMC)
Crews in Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative territory in Georgia worked into the night on Sept. 28. The co-op posted on its Facebook page that 1,100 workers—from SVEC, contractors and mutual aid crews—were simultaneously performing damage assessments and power restoration. (Photo Courtesy: Suwannee Valley EC)
Restoration work in high water continued in Cairo, Georgia-based Grady EMC territory on Sept. 29. (Photo Courtesy: Grady EMC)
The remnants of Helene caused damage even in Ohio. Lancaster-based South Central Power Co. saw nearly 30 broken poles as restoration work stretched over the weekend. (Photo Courtesy: South Central Power Co.)
In North Carolina, the rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Helene are often are from the ground up as crews replace broken poles and spans of line. (Photo Courtesy: North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives)
On Saturday, Sept. 28, pole replacement was the name of the day for hard-hit Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative in Florida. (Photo Courtesy: Suwannee Valley Electric)
Debris and downed structures litter roadways in the territory of Central Florida Electric Cooperative on Sept. 28. (Photo By: CFEC)
As of noon on Sept. 28, Jackson EMC had restored power to nearly all of its members. The Georgia co-op had more than 20,000 consumer-members without power after Hurricane Helene swept through its territory in the early morning hours of Sept. 27. The co-op’s lineworkers, along with mutual aid crews, replaced more than...
On Friday morning, Live Oak, Florida-based Suwannee Valley EC crews began working on restoration efforts. The co-op posted on its Facebook page that 99.9% of its service territory lost power and that nine of its 13 substations lost power. (Photo Courtesy: Suwannee Valley EC)
As of midday on Sept. 27, Jackson EMC crews were working to restore power to just more than 10,000 consumer-members across the co-op's service area, down from nearly 20,000 earlier in the day, according to a post on its Facebook page. (Photo Courtesy: Jackson EMC)
Snapping Shoals EMC faced some 20 broken poles after the remnants of Hurricane Helene slammed its service territory overnight on Sept. 27. (Photo Courtesy: Snapping Shoals EMC)
As of midday on Sept. 27, Jackson EMC crews were working to restore power to just more than 10,000 consumer-members across the co-op's service area, down from nearly 20,000 earlier in the day, according to a post on its Facebook page. (Photo Courtesy: Jackson EMC)
As of midday on Sept. 27, Jackson EMC crews were working to restore power to just more than 10,000 consumer-members across the co-op's service area, down from nearly 20,000 earlier in the day, according to a post on its Facebook page. (Photo Courtesy: Jackson EMC)
A co-op crew from Indiana cuts through downed trees and debris to set a pole in an affected Georgia electric cooperative. (Photo By: Indiana Electric Cooperatives.)
Restoration efforts were underway on Sept. 27 in Palmetto, Georgia-based Coweta-Fayette EMC’s territory following damage from Hurricane Helene. (Photo Courtesy: Coweta-Fayette EMC)
A fallen tree knocked out a substation in Dobson, North Carolina-based Surry-Yadkin EMC’s territory on Sept. 27 as the remnants of Hurricane Helene moved through the Carolinas. (Photo Courtesy: Surry-Yadkin EMC)
Tri-County EMC crews in Madison, Florida-based Tri-County Electric Cooperative continued restoration efforts on Sept. 27. Hurricane Helene made landfall in the co-op’s service territory in the evening hours of Sept. 26. (Photo Courtesy: Tri-County EMC)
Also in Georgia, Covington-based Snapping Shoals EMC continued restoration efforts. As of midday Friday, Sept. 27, the co-op had approximately 2,000 consumer-members without power. (Photo Courtesy: Snapping Shoals EMC)
Dade City, Florida-based Withlacoochee River EC saw what the co-op described as “historic water and extremely high wind gusts” through its service territory when Hurricane Helene came ashore on Sept. 26. (Photo Courtesy: Withlacoochee River EC)
A view of the widespread flooding in Withlacoochee River EC’s territory late in the evening in Florida on Sept. 26 after Hurricane Helene passed through. (Photo Courtesy: Withlacoochee River EC)
On Friday morning, Live Oak, Florida-based Suwannee Valley EC crews began working on restoration efforts. The co-op posted on its Facebook page that 99.9% of its service territory lost power and that nine of its 13 substations lost power. (Photo Courtesy: Suwannee Valley EC)
On Friday morning, Live Oak, Florida-based Suwannee Valley EC crews began working on restoration efforts. The co-op posted on its Facebook page that 99.9% of its service territory lost power and that nine of its 13 substations lost power. (Photo Courtesy: Suwannee Valley EC)
A basecamp at Suwannee Valley EC in Live Oak, Florida, had approximately 1,500 beds ready for crews ready to assist with restoration efforts ahead of Hurricane Helene’s landfall on Sept. 26. (Photo Courtesy: Florida Electric Cooperatives Association)
Mutual aid crews—and their families, including the little ones—from CoServ in Corinth, Texas, meet on Sept. 25 before heading to assist co-ops in Georgia with restoration efforts from Hurricane Helene. (Photo Courtesy: Sawnee EMC)
Linemen from Coles-Moultrie EC in Mattoon, Illinois, before heading to Georgia on Sept. 25 ahead of Hurricane Helene’s landfall along the Gulf Coast. (Photo Courtesy: Coles-Moultrie EC)
Linemen from Northwestern REC in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, hit the road to Coweta-Fayette EMC in Palmetto, Georgia, on Sept. 25 in advance of Hurricane Helene’s arrival. (Photo Courtesy: Northwestern REC)
At Jackson EMC in Jefferson, Georgia, crews gathered supplies from warehouses to stock and prepare trucks for the storm response, while welcoming crews from other co-ops and contractors starting to arrive for support in advance of Hurricane Helene’s landfall on Sept. 26. (Photo Courtesy: Jackson EMC)
A mutual aid crew from CoServ in Corinth, Texas, meet on Sept. 25 to head to assist co-ops in Georgia with restoration efforts from Hurricane Helene. (Photo Courtesy: Sawnee EMC)
A mutual aid crew from Creedmoor, Texas-based Pike Electric arrived in Jackson EMC territory in Georgia on Sept. 26 in advance of Hurricane Helene’s landfall. (Photo Courtesy: Jackson EMC)
A crew from Sam Houston EC in Texas prepares to head to Central Georgia Electric Cooperative on Sept. 26 to assist with restoration efforts from Hurricane Helene. (Photo Courtesy: Sam Houston EC)
At Laurens EC in South Carolina, employees inspected equipment on Sept. 26 while prepping for Hurricane Helene to impact their service territory. (Photo Courtesy: Laurens EC)
Crews at Withlacoochee River EC in Dade City, Florida, finished advance prep ahead of Hurricane Helene’s landfall on Sept. 26 and were on standby to begin restoration efforts. (Photo Courtesy: Withlacoochee River EC)
Jackson EMC system control operators in Georgia continue to monitor Hurricane Helene and dispatch crews for restoration efforts in the early morning hours of Sept. 27. (Photo Courtesy: Jackson EMC)
Crews at Grady EMC in Cairo, Georgia, grab a quick meal before returning to work after Hurricane Helene passed through the co-op’s service territory. (Photo Courtesy: Grady EMC)
Sack lunches provided by a local business await crews working on restoration efforts at Clarkesville, Georgia-based Habersham EMC on Sept. 27. (Photo Courtesy: Habersham EMC)
A tree fell on a Broad River Electric Cooperative truck, crushing the hood and cracking the windshield. There were no injuries, but the truck a loss. (Photo By: Broad River Electric Cooeprative)
“We do know there are parts of our system that will take weeks to repair or rebuild. In many cases, there is no road—not even dirt—where there once was one and our poles are down mountainsides or in the river in some cases,” said Renee Walker, director of public relations, who said more than 34,000 members were without power as of midday Monday.
“Many of our employees have also lost power, some lost barns or other structures in the flood,” she added. “Everyone, however, is working tirelessly and in good spirits—the cooperative spirit!”
Power outages in Florida stood at about 56,000 Monday, down from over 200,000 when Helene made landfall late Thursday. Georgia co-ops reported more than 220,000 remaining outages, with the totals in North Carolina and South Carolina at 123,000 and 176,000, respectively.
On a national scale, AccuWeather put total damage and economic loss from Helene at $145 billion to $160 billion, making it one of the costliest storms on record. The service attributed the growing tally to catastrophic flooding in the southern Appalachians and storm surge along coastal areas.
On a local level, Danny Nichols, president and CEO of Colquitt EMC in Moultrie, Georgia, said the scale of repair work is almost unimaginable, yet some 770 personnel are displaying determination in bringing electricity to about 45,000 members who were still without power Monday.
“If you can see these devastated areas, you will see some things that will stick with you forever. Most professionals who work in this business have said Helene is the most destructive storm they have experienced. In my 42 years of experience in this business, I can say Helene is without a doubt the most destructive storm,” Nichols said.
Forest City, North Carolina-based Rutherford EMC has restored power to more than 20,000 members but full restoration could take weeks, General Manager Dirk Burleson said, praising the resiliency of line crews.
“It’s hard to describe the extent of the damage to our system,” he said. “In many cases, it’s not just a repair effort, but a rebuild.” Lingering flood water, mudslides and collapsed roads have made some areas of the co-op’s systems inaccessible. In other areas, crews are pushing through trees, brush and debris to locate and begin working on damaged infrastructure.
“When crews get to where they need to be, they’re not just met with a limb on a line—they’re met with entire trees that have pulled down spans of line and snapped poles that need to be rebuilt,” Burleson said.
The dangerous nature of the job was illustrated at Broad River Electric Cooperative, Cowpens, South Carolina, where a tree fell on the driver’s side of a company truck, crushing the hood and cracking the windshield.
“Luckily, no one was hurt, but the truck is a total loss. We’re praying for safety for all of the lineworkers involved in getting the lights back on in South Carolina,” the co-op said.
Live Oak-based Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative said power was back on for about 59% of its members, thanks to the efforts of nearly 1,500 workers, contractors and mutual aid personnel.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the work our employees are doing,” said SVEC CEO Mike McWaters. “The results we are seeing are a testament to their commitment to their neighbors here in the community. “Everyone here at the cooperative is also very grateful for the assistance we are receiving from our industry colleagues.”
The Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) has set up a dedicated page for donations to raise funds for disaster relief to electric cooperatives and co-op employees directly affected by Hurricane Helene.
Steven Johnson is a contributing writer for NRECA.