Co-ops spend countless hours strengthening the system, piece by piece. The goal is simple and straightforward: Find problems before a storm finds them.
The violent windstorm that swept across Ohio and much of the rest of the Midwest on March 13 was a powerful reminder about how quickly the weather can change — and how much we all depend on electricity in our daily lives.
Gusts were strong enough to bring down trees, snap utility poles, peel shingles, and unceremoniously toss around just about anything that wasn’t tied down. In other words, it was the kind of weather that makes folks worry about whether or not their lights will stay on.
At your electric cooperative, preparing for times like that is year-round work — not just when a storm shows up on the radar. Co-op crews spend countless hours inspecting poles and lines, replacing worn equipment, and generally strengthening the system, piece by piece. The goal is both vital and straightforward: Find problems before a storm finds them.
Because most wind-related outages start with trees, co-ops invest significantly in right-of-way maintenance — keeping trees and other vegetation away from power lines. It’s the first line of defense and one of the most effective tools in a co-op’s arsenal to prevent outages.
Sometimes, however, Mother Nature demonstrates that even the best preparation has limits; some storms simply are stronger than the systems built to withstand them, and when widespread winds whip up and trees start coming down, damage can add up pretty quickly.
That’s why readiness goes beyond well-maintained equipment and clear rights-of-way. It takes a dedicated team of people to restore power, and when damage is both severe and widespread, co-ops sometimes have to reach out for help, as several did in response to that mid-March storm. It showed yet again that mutual aid — the practice of co-ops helping co-ops — is one of the greatest strengths of the cooperative network, as you will read in our story on page 4.
The storm was also a time to remember that line work can be both dangerous and demanding, even in the best of conditions, and restoration work after a storm is even more so. Everyone at the co-op understands how frustrating it can be to lose power, but they also know that safety must come first. Every. Single. Time. Any time power goes out, cooperative crews will respond as quickly as possible, but their responsibility to go home at the end of the day is sacred, and they take it seriously.
It might demand a little more patience from members while the lineworkers do their job as quickly, and safely, as possible, because at times like that members can be assured of two things: your co-op will always show up and when they do, they will do the job the right way.
Thank you for your continued support, but especially when the weather makes a tough job even tougher.
