This fall, two back-to-back major hurricanes, Helene and Milton, made landfall on the west coast of Florida. Helene hit the Big Bend area Sept. 26 as a Category 3 storm and lumbered north for several days, causing billions of dollars in wind and flooding damage and taking more than 200 lives before dissipating. Milton hit the Tampa Bay area Oct. 9, also as a Category 3, and marched directly across Florida, setting off a spate of tornados and causing widespread flooding before moving out to sea.
On this episode of Along Those Lines, we’ll talk to CEOs from two of the many electric cooperatives impacted by these storms:
- Laurens Electric Cooperative CEO Matt Stanley had only been at the helm of the co-op for about nine months when the storm hit its service territory in the heavily forested and hilly area of northwest South Carolina near Greenville. Helene inflicted unprecedented damage on the co-op’s system, with thousands of fallen trees and limbs taking out power for nearly their entire membership.
- Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative CEO David Lambert saw his co-op in central Florida take a hit from both Helene and Milton, suffering mainly coastal flooding from the first storm and historic wind and water damage throughout WREC territory from the second.
Listen to the episode below:
You can also listen and subscribe to Along Those Lines on your preferred podcast service:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
Related Content:
Electric Co-ops Faced With 1.25 Million Outages in the Wake of Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene: Tracking the Co-op Response
‘This Is an Unprecedented Situation’: Co-ops Pick Up the Pieces After Helene
Line Crews Lean on Cooperative Spirit in the Wake of Helene’s Destruction
For Co-ops Grappling With Helene’s Destruction, It’s All Hands on Deck
Electric Co-ops Hit Hard by Hurricane Helene Face Tough Task of Rebuilding
‘The Bridges Are Gone, the Roads Are Gone’: How One Co-op Is Coping With Helene
Florida Co-ops Wrap Up Power Restoration Efforts After Hurricane Milton
‘Heart of Service’: Lineman Joins Hurricane Mutual Aid Effort Days Before Wedding
Find out more about NRECA’s podcast. Questions or suggestions? Email us at AlongThoseLines@nreca.coop.