Missouri electric cooperative linemen — including those at Intercounty Electric Cooperative — have returned from Florida and Georgia where they helped restore power in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Missouri sent 133 linemen from 22 systems to assist SECO Energy in Sumterville, Fla., and Flint Energies based in Reynolds, Ga.
Most of the Missouri lineworkers traveled to Florida, including Intercounty’s crew, where damage to the central Florida electric cooperative was described as “unprecedented.”
SECO’s infrastructure suffered significant damage as Hurricane Irma traveled directly through its service territory with winds that ranged from a Category 1 to a Category 3 hurricane. Power outages began Sunday evening, Sept. 10, as Irma’s tropical-storm-force winds entered Central Florida.
Intercounty employees assisting were Jason Greear, Matt Ryberg, Nathan Ellison, Aaron Scantlin, Brandon Schmitt and Jason Elledge.
Members continued to lose power throughout Sunday night and Monday morning when winds increased to hurricane-force speeds. When winds subsided, more than half of SECO’s system was down and more than half of the cooperative’s nearly 200,000 members were without power.
Restoration began on Monday, Sept. 11, at noon. More than 1,200 lineworkers and tree trimmers were deployed in full force throughout the system over the next six days to restore power. At the end of the day on Sunday, Sept. 17, SECO’s system was more than 99.9 percent restored. A few members could not receive power due to high water.
The men worked as much as 16 hours per day repairing broken poles and wire damaged by powerful wind and falling trees. In Florida they carried tools through chest-deep water, keeping a wary eye out for alligators. The Georgia crews braved venomous snakes and the ever-present fire ants.
The Missouri linemen were part of the largest mobilization of mutual assistance in the history of the rural electric program. More than 1.2 million electric cooperative members were without power following the hurricane.
Building on lessons learned from providing assistance during previous hurricanes, a tanker truck from Central Electric Power Cooperative accompanied the Florida-bound crews in case fuel was in short supply.