TCEC Assists Neighbor Co-ops Following Hurricane Michael

“Cooperation Among Cooperatives” and “Concern for Community” are two of the seven cooperative principals that Tri-County Electric Cooperative employees put to practice during October and November last year. On Oct. 10, Hurricane Michael slammed into the Florida panhandle packing 150 mph winds and leaving a huge path of destruction in its wake.

Although Tri-County Electric Cooperative was not completely spared of damage associated with the hurricane, with the help of an extra 56 co-op lineworkers from Florida Keys Electric Cooperative, Glades Electric Cooperative, Peace River Electric Cooperative, Sumter Electric Cooperative and Powell Valley Electric Cooperative, power was fully restored to our members two days following the storm.

Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, West Florida Electric Cooperative and Talquin Electric Cooperative experienced severe damage as a result of the storm. So, when the call for help came from these Florida co-ops in the panhandle, TCEC employees were more than willing to volunteer to work in this major power restoration effort.

“We were thankful to find ourselves in a position to provide assistance to our fellow co-ops,” said TCEC CEO Julius Hackett, who witnessed first-hand the extensive damage to the panhandle region.

Management and employees quickly assembled and volunteered to help wherever they were needed. From Operations, Terry Dobson (Lead Apparatus Technician), Jason Hughey (Apprentice Apparatus Technician), William Carter (Serviceman), Tony Stephenson (Crew Leader), Scotty Henderson (Journeyman Lineman), Cody Holden (Journeyman Lineman), David Wesson

(Contractor Supervisor), Chad Mitchell (Apprentice Lineman), Tom Rucks (Field Service Representative) and Shane Roberts (Service Technician) worked alongside others to restore the power to more than 51,000 meters representing 99% of the members of Talquin Electric Cooperative.

Darrell Tuten (Vice President of Operations) and Rusty Smith (Safety Director) went to West Florida Electric, which lost power to all but 189 meters following the storm. These men assisted with the operations and safety of the 1000+ crewmen following the tragic accident that claimed the lives of three linemen.

Engineering employees Steve Walden (GIS Specialist), Antonio Richardson (System Engineer) and Kyle King (System Technician), together with Finance employee Michael Haynes (Warehouseman), traveled to Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, where they worked and slept on cots in a warehouse. There, they assisted with material handling and inventory.

More than a dozen office personnel from the Finance and Corporate Services departments worked in teams assisting Talquin Electric Cooperative with the organization and delivery of meals to the linemen, completion of FEMA paperwork, and even did the laundry of the linemen working diligently to get the lights back on. Those teams consisted of Kisha Tolar (Accounts Receivable/Payable Assistant), Kaitlynn Culpepper (Community Relations Director), Carol Timmons (Accounts Receivable/Payable Supervisor), Eileen Herndon (Executive Assistant), Andrew Pinkard (Human Resources Assistant), Sharon Booth (Fiscal Assistant), Angela Eastabrooks (Member Service Specialist) and Member Service Representatives Tina Wells, Candi Gray, Sandy Wilson, Robbie Coker, Keith Ruff and Lavonne Browning.

“We are proud of all TCEC employees: our employees who volunteered to travel and help our fellow co-ops, as well as the employees who unselfishly agreed to stay behind so that the business of TCEC could continue without interruption,” says Hackett. “We are all empowered through our ability to work together, support each other, and contribute to helping others recover following the storm.”