When it comes to restoring power after a hurricane, the final yards are always the toughest to get.
Line crews from multiple states continued to slog and slash their way into rural parts of the Florida Panhandle to bring co-op members back online in the fourth day of recovery from Hurricane Isaias.
Overall, outage numbers on Tuesday morning served to underscore co-ops’ dedication to turning the lights back on as quickly and safely as possible. About a quarter-million members, mostly in Florida, Georgia and Alabama, had been without power after Isaias made landfall Friday. By early Tuesday, thousands of crews and support personnel had knocked that number down to a little more than 16,000, with all but a few hundred centered in the territory of three Florida co-ops.
Escambia River Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Jay, had nearly half of its membership still without electricity—about 7,970, according to data from the co-op.
The bulk of outages were in Santa Rosa County, especially east of the Escambia River, where Isaias delivered a rare “sting jet” effect—a narrow, scorpion-shaped band of destructive, high-speed wind that rips across the ground west of the eye of the hurricane.
That put measured winds at 116 mph in Santa Rosa Sound, the effects of which will be felt for days, according to the co-op. Escambia River EC hoped to have 90 percent of power back on by Thursday night in areas hit hardest by the sting jet.
“Our crews, including those who have traveled from other cooperatives and mutual aid resources to help, are giving it everything they’ve got,” the co-op said in an update to members.
“Our crews, including those who have traveled from other cooperatives and mutual aid resources to help, are giving it everything they’ve got.” – Escambia River Electric Cooperative
Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative (CHELCO) reported about 4,700 outages Tuesday, down dramatically from a high of more than 70,000. The biggest trouble spots remained in the low-lying areas between CHELCO’s headquarters and Destin, where Isaias first struck. CHELCO expected to have power returned by late Tuesday to all meters that could accept it safely.
West Florida Electric Cooperative, based in Graceville, had 2,783 outages remaining as of early Tuesday.
In Alabama, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, based in Hartford, had less than 300 meters not yet spinning, an impressive accomplishment considering 18,000 were dark in the wake of Isaias.
West Florida Electric Cooperative, based in Graceville, had 2,783 outages remaining as of early Tuesday.
“This is a tremendous milestone for our cooperative and the communities we serve,” said Wiregrass CEO Brad Kimbro. “Our crews and the many teams assisting us have accomplished an incredible amount of work in a short period of time. But our job is not finished until every member who can safely receive power has their lights back on. We will continue working with that same determination until restoration is complete.”
Pioneer Electric Cooperative, based in Greenville, was down to less than 200 outages but noted returning the remaining meters to service would be “one of the most time-consuming stages of storm restoration.”