In the early morning hours on Saturday, September 28, SECO Energy completed electric service restoration for all accounts affected by Hurricane Helene’s impact. After a short rest for SECO Energy’s crews, a group of employees volunteered to join the restoration effort at other cooperatives.
The wind damage in SECO Energy’s service area was moderate, disrupting service to roughly 43,000 accounts. In response, SECO Energy employees and hundreds of mutual aid line and tree crews began a comprehensive storm recovery process, which involved damage assessments, restoration prioritization, and working around the clock to restore electric service. Crews and contractors worked tirelessly to replace broken utility poles, remove fallen trees, and restore downed power lines, ensuring the safety and comfort of our members.
“I am extremely proud of our dedicated employees and mutual aid crews that worked tirelessly until every member had power restored,” says SECO Energy’s Chief Executive Officer Curtis Wynn. “Storm recovery is difficult, dangerous work, but our crews are experienced, highly trained, and dedicated to protecting the communities we serve.”
A 13-person restoration module left SECO Energy early Sunday afternoon, traveling to Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc., headquartered in Keystone Heights, to assist in outage restoration. Clay Electric’s service area has been significantly damaged, with over 26,000 accounts currently without electric service as of Sunday afternoon. This underscores the urgency of the situation. Two SECO warehouse support employees have stepped in to provide needed warehouse and supply chain services at Central Florida Electric Cooperative (CFEC). Their assistance is crucial in helping CFEC employees continue the restoration effort in their region.
Wynn continued, “I want to thank each employee who volunteered to help others. We are proud to answer the call to help a sister cooperative. Cooperation Among Cooperatives is essential; when we work together, we can bring normalcy back to the lives of thousands of our neighbors. North Florida and western North Carolina sustained some of the worst damage from Helene, these communities are in our thoughts as they work to rebuild their homes and lives.”
SECO Energy’s contracted line and tree crews also left to aid in restoration. Five Pike overhead line crews and 24 Link Energy contractors left for Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC) on Saturday. Four Pike overhead line crews joined Clay Electric on Sunday. Additionally, five Wright Tree Service crews are traveling to other damaged areas in the southeast.
SECO Energy is grateful to members affected by this storm for their patience and understanding as crews worked to replace broken utility poles, remove tree fallen trees, and restore downed power lines. The cooperative also extends its gratitude to the various cooperatives, businesses, and organizations that provided valuable support and assistance during the recovery efforts.
Storm Restoration Photos:
For more information about SECO Energy and our storm recovery efforts, visit our online Newsroom at SECOEnergy.com.
