Two 6-men electric line crews from Walton Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) in Monroe, GA and three 6-men crews from Snapping Shoals EMC in Covington, GA are on their way to Coastal Electric Cooperative this morning to help restore power to victims of Hurricane Matthew.
The crews will assist our Coastal Electric linemen throughout the storm restoration period,
Because electric cooperatives follow the same power line construction standards, these crews from other co-ops will be able to go right to work when they arrive in Midway. They can work side-by-side with Coastal Electric linemen crews or independently.
“Depending on the extent of the damage, we may bring in more replacement crews to relieve the initial crews after several days.” said Chris Fettes, Coastal’s enginering and operations vice president.
Additional hazards face electric crews after natural disasters. Fallen trees can put excess tension on wires and flooding can make access to repairs difficult. The rising waters can also displace poisonous snakes and make mosquito populations explode. Many times, crews have to cut a path through downed trees just to reach repair sites.
“There is also the hazard from incorrect use of standby generators,” said Coastal Electric’s Mark Bolton. “Small generators can put several thousand volts back out on power lines if they are not correctly installed, presenting a hazard for line technicians or anyone else who may come in contact with them.”
If you have a medical condition that requires you to have uninterrupted electricity Coastal Electric suggests you follow the evacuation recommendations of your county emergency management director and make plans now to move to a safe location until power can be restored to your home.
Our priority is always to restore power to the greatest number of people in the shortest period of time. We work first to restore the high voltage transmission lines, then substations, followed by our main feeder lines then single phase taps and lastly, individual services.
We will continue to monitor the path and forecast of Hurricane Matthew and adjust our storm response procedures accordingly.
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