For those of us at Broad River Electric, the last days of September 2024 will be a time we will never forget. Prior to Hurricane Helene making landfall, preparations were made for the “typical” hurricane normally experienced in the Upstate. However, Helene proved to be anything but typical. Words cannot express the impact on our cooperative’s distribution system, our employees and their families, the community and our members. Helene challenged us all.
At the peak of the restoration process, there were more than 300 men and women working on our electric system, including linemen, vegetation management experts, assessors and the many support staff ensuring that our crews were housed and fed and had the materials they needed to restore service. We had men and women from 12 different states representing 15 different cooperatives working alongside us. These people are heroes and have earned our respect and gratitude. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to them, and to their families.
In our cooperative’s history, we have never seen system-wide damage as severe as what we experienced with Helene. Transformers were damaged or destroyed, conductors and power lines severed, cross-arms broken, transmission service to substations destroyed and countless fallen trees preventing access and delaying restoration efforts. One key metric that tells the stark tale is the number of poles broken. At this writing, close to 300 have been replaced. For perspective, a single pole can take over four hours to replace in the best of conditions.
When destruction of this magnitude to the electric infrastructure occurs, there is a process for power restoration. Restoring power is a major undertaking involving more than replacing a pole or removing a tree from a line. The main goal is to safely restore power to the greatest number of members in the shortest time possible. The first step is to repair transmission lines and substations. Without service to a substation, energy cannot flow to homes. Secondly, main distribution lines are assessed for damage and repaired as necessary. The third step is the repair of individual service lines which carry power from the transformer to the house or building. Our linemen do all of this while prioritizing safety.
But as devastating as Helene was, I knew all along that our crews, our employees and our communities would meet the moment. When your mission is to take care of the people you serve, not even a historic storm can prevent our dedicated team from doing just that.
And there were lots of folks who took care of us, too. In the aftermath of the storm and during the restoration process, our membership proved to be resilient and supportive. We had individuals, churches and organizations donate meals, snacks, water and ice to our linemen who were working tirelessly in the field. We had members reach out to us to tell us they were praying for us, or simply to thank us for our efforts. I can’t describe how these acts of kindness lifted our spirits and showed us the strength and compassion of our community. We are a stronger cooperative because of the significant challenges this storm brought. From all of us at Broad River, thank you for standing with us.
President & CEO