More Oklahoma electric crews have been sent to the southeastern U.S. to help as millions remain without power and the death toll from Hurricane Helene is more than 100.
The latest assistance is from Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative which dispatched a team to Georgia early Monday morning. The crew members will help Jefferson Energy Cooperative in restoring power following the category 4 hurricane.
Canadian Valley Electric serves the east central region of Oklahoma and has more than 25,000 customers covering 3,500 square miles in all or parts of Oklahoma, Cleveland, Pottawatomie, Seminole, Lincoln, Creek, Hughes, Okfuskee, Okmulgee and McIntosh counties.
“Our team is committed to helping get the lights back on for Jefferson Energy’s members as quickly and safely as possible,” said Josh Holt, Chief Operating Officer at CVEC.
“This commitment to mutual support embodies our cooperative values, demonstrating how we come together to assist our fellow cooperatives in times of need.”
CVEC’s team is equipped with the necessary resources and expertise to assist in the restoration efforts. They will work alongside Jefferson Energy’s crew to ensure that power is restored safely and efficiently.
Canadian Valley is at least the third utility from Oklahoma to offer assistance. PSO and OGE also sent crews.
Four days after they were deployed to Atlanta, Georgia, Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company (OG&E) crews continue to make progress restoring power safely to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. Crews completed restoration work in the Atlanta area late Saturday night and were reassigned to Waynesboro, Georgia, about 30 miles south of Augusta, Georgia. Crews are also making progress in Sardis, a town near Waynesboro.
The damage in Waynesboro was considerable, with large-scale wind and flood damage that left the community without power for days. OG&E crews arrived Sunday and began clearing damage, trees, and other debris from areas so they could safely begin restoration work. Crews worked as quickly and safely as possible and have already re-energized several areas of town.
The team has been working 16-hour shifts to restore power to customers while navigating extensive tree damage, persisting flooding conditions, and many road closures. Currently, the community does not have access to the internet, but crews are able to communicate through radios and cell phones.
The amount of destruction and damage is extensive, and more people are getting their power each day. We will be here for a while. This is not so much a restoration effort, it’s a rebuilding effort,” said Chris Bristol, OG&E Distribution Construction Manager. “We are literally going in and building entire lines which takes time especially when you’re having to clear the damage out of your way to do so. We are here for the long haul and are here to get everybody’s power on and will continue working every day until we do.”
“Our crews are continuing to help restore power and rebuild communities devastated by Hurricane Helene and have already moved from the Atlanta area to communities south of Augusta,” said Chad Guthrie, OG&E Director of Distribution Construction. “We’ve had a lot of support from the locals in Waynesboro and Sardis who are offering water, meals and other help to our teams. We know that restoring power to those in Georgia is critical, and with more than 563,000 customers still without power, we will continue to work as quickly and safely as possible to re-energize these communities.”
Hurricane Helene made landfall on the Florida coastline as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing rain and damaging wind to surrounding states and leaving more than 4 million people without power across the South, including Georgia.
OG&E crews arrived in Georgia Friday and began work in Atlanta’s east metro area – Lithonia, Collinsville, and Stonecrest – where they quickly wrapped up their restoration efforts and moved to Waynesboro. Georgia Power, the state’s largest electric company and a subsidiary of Southern Company requested support ahead of Hurricane Helene, and OG&E deployed on Thursday in anticipation of widespread outages across the state.
“This is our fourth mutual assistance trip since May. It’s tough being away from our families but we feel like we are helping people, so it makes it all worth it,” said Bristol. “They’re happy to see us and offered our crews lunch. There are some great folks here.”
Mutual assistance crews can be deployed for up to 14 days. If more assistance is needed, OG&E may rotate in additional crews. Other OG&E crews and restoration personnel will remain in place across the company’s service area in Oklahoma and western Arkansas to monitor and maintain service for customers.
OG&E’s last deployment for mutual assistance was in mid-September when teams helped with restoration efforts in Louisiana following widespread damage caused by Hurricane Francine.