Hardest-Hit Co-ops Face Weeks of Restoration Work in the Wake of Helene (2024)

Co-op 101

PublishedOctober 4, 2024

AuthorSteven Johnson

Currently Reading

Hardest-Hit Co-ops Face Weeks of Restoration Work in the Wake of Helene

Hardest-Hit Co-ops Face Weeks of Restoration Work in the Wake of Helene (1)

A week after Hurricane Helene rammed ashore at Florida’s Big Bend and left a devastating path of damage through the Southeast, some of the hard work is over. But even harder work lies ahead.

As of midday Friday, the number of electric cooperative outages in affected states dipped below 250,000. More than 1 million meters were again online, thanks to the restoration effort of local and mutual aid crews from more than half of the states.

At the same time, co-op officials agreed that washed-out roads and mudslides meant the remaining quarter-million outages would be the most difficult to fix. North Carolina had nearly 55,000 remaining outages, with South Carolina at 60,800 and Georgia at 130,715 as of midday Friday.

In all, about four dozen co-ops, including several in Florida, still were grappling with the ruins from Helene’s overpowering winds and rains.

Hardest-Hit Co-ops Face Weeks of Restoration Work in the Wake of Helene (2)

“The challenges that crews are facing in the field are unprecedented, from widespread flooding and landslides to rebuilding electric infrastructure that has been damaged or destroyed by the power of wind and water,” said Dirk Burleson, general manager at Rutherford EMC in Forest City, North Carolina, where more than 150 mutual aid workers labored side by side with co-op personnel.

“Crews are going to extraordinary lengths to access damaged infrastructure and reach isolated areas. In many cases, power lines have been completely washed away, and crews are building from the ground up.”

At least 215 people across the Southeast were reported dead from Helene, according to the Associated Press. Preliminary estimates from Moody Analytics put cost of the storm at $20 billion to $34 billion, with property damage at $15 billion to $26 billion.

The harrowing experiences and arduous repairs were being captured by major media Friday as hard-hit Blue Ridge Energy in Lenoir, North Carolina told the co-op story to a New York TV outlet.

“It is truly a Herculean effort by all, most certainly the army of 500-plus of line technicians, tree and grading contractors and all staff here who can possibly be of assistance in the field,” said Renee Walker, director of public relations at Blue Ridge Energy.

Hardest-Hit Co-ops Face Weeks of Restoration Work in the Wake of Helene (3)

The most grueling work was centered on nine co-ops, three each in the Carolinas and Georgia struggling with at least 10,000 outages. Satilla REMC, based in Alma, Georgia, had the most at 41,333, or about 70% of the membership, with damage to almost all of its 7,000 miles of line.

Still, the co-op had come a long way since President and CEO Romeo Reyes had to drive a tractor to work following Helene because his driveway was full of fallen trees.

“Without a doubt, riding out Hurricane Helene is one of the most frightening things I have experienced in my lifetime,” said Reyes, who has been with the co-op for 39 years.

Among mutual aid crews were four lineworkers and two bucket trucks that traveled 1,200 miles from Wright-Hennepin Electric Cooperative Electric Association in Rockford, Minnesota to Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative in Pickens, South Carolina.

Tim Sullivan, CEO of Wright-Hennepin, said reports indicated the rugged Blue Ridge Electric terrain meant poles must be drug and placed by hand, just as they were in 1940.

“Because of the difficult conditions and extent of the damage, our crews might be gone a week or more. I can’t think of a more powerful demonstration of the cooperative spirit. We are proud of them, and we are proud of the work we do every day.”

That spirit was displayed across the cooperative network as employees suffered personal and property damage yet made their way to work to help members. Alamo, Georgia-based Little Ocmulgee Electric Membership Corp. hailed one 31-year-employee on social media who lost his home to the storm yet cut his way through debris and blocked roads to report to his job.

“His story reminds us all of the strength found in the importance of supporting one another, especially in times of crisis,” the co-op said.

1 of 45

2 of 45

3 of 45

4 of 45

5 of 45

6 of 45

7 of 45

8 of 45

9 of 45

10 of 45

11 of 45

12 of 45

13 of 45

14 of 45

15 of 45

16 of 45

17 of 45

18 of 45

19 of 45

20 of 45

21 of 45

22 of 45

23 of 45

24 of 45

25 of 45

26 of 45

27 of 45

28 of 45

29 of 45

30 of 45

31 of 45

32 of 45

33 of 45

34 of 45

35 of 45

36 of 45

37 of 45

38 of 45

39 of 45

40 of 45

41 of 45

42 of 45

43 of 45

44 of 45

45 of 45

Previous Next

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)

Walker noted that the communications infrastructure was so decimated in Blue Ridge Energy’s territory that some members likely are still unaware of the extent of the damage and the restoration effort.

“Members who have their power restored—and many of those who don’t yet—have sent the most encouraging words and sentiments over social media and in many other ways, I am sure. That means so much to everyone here.”

Co-ops reported shipments of new poles on a daily basis to replace thousands of broken ones. Setting a new pole can take a three- or four-member team up to four hours, and that’s under ideal conditions.

Cases in point: In Moultrie, Georgia, Colquitt EMC said it had more than 1,000 downed poles. Laurens Electric Cooperative in Laurens, South Carolina, where crews from 17 states were at work, tallied 500 broken poles, while Blue Ridge Energy’s count was 700, with more to be discovered.

The Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) has set up adedicated page for donationsto 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.

Earlier Coverage of Hurricane Helene:

  • For Co-ops Grappling With Helene’s Destruction, It’s All Hands on Deck
  • Line Crews Lean on Cooperative Spirit in the Wake of Helene’s Destruction
  • ‘This Is an Unprecedented Situation’: Co-ops Pick Up the Pieces After Helene
  • Hurricane Helene: Tracking the Co-op Response
  • Co-ops Faced With 1.25 Million Outages in the Wake of Hurricane Helene
Hardest-Hit Co-ops Face Weeks of Restoration Work in the Wake of Helene (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Melvina Ondricka

Last Updated:

Views: 6170

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (48 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Melvina Ondricka

Birthday: 2000-12-23

Address: Suite 382 139 Shaniqua Locks, Paulaborough, UT 90498

Phone: +636383657021

Job: Dynamic Government Specialist

Hobby: Kite flying, Watching movies, Knitting, Model building, Reading, Wood carving, Paintball

Introduction: My name is Melvina Ondricka, I am a helpful, fancy, friendly, innocent, outstanding, courageous, thoughtful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.