The ‘Week Hurricane’

I’ve been in the utility business for almost 29 years and I’ve been involved with outages from dozens of named storms and literally hundreds of weather-related outages but I’ve never dealt with an event quite like we faced June 15-20. I heard some of the guys call it the “Week Hurricane,” referencing the length of time it lasted.

As you are aware, our system, along with much of Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle, was struck with severe weather on consecutive days in June including Father’s Day Weekend. Although it was not a named storm, we experienced near hurricane-force winds several days in a row causing us to go into storm mode.

It was devastating to see the looks on the faces of our linemen after working a 16-hour shift, only to have another round of weather pass over the system and knock out power to thousands of meters, many of which had just been restored. On two occasions, we were down to less than 200 meters out of power, only to see the numbers quickly rise to more than 5,000 meters out of power.

I am proud of all of our employees. They kept their heads up and caught another gear, working tirelessly in difficult conditions until the last meter was back on. We also reached out for some additional help and we appreciate those that were able to respond. It was difficult to get help locally because our closest neighbors were dealing with their own outages. We were fortunate to get help from the following co-ops:

North Alabama Electric Cooperative

Arab Electric Cooperative

Okmulgee Electric Cooperative

Warren Rural Electric Cooperative

Nolin Rural Electric Cooperative

We were also able to get help from the following contractors:

Chain Electric

Harper Electric

I have had several people ask me how we were able to get help so quickly. The truth is, it is one of the Cooperative Principles: Cooperation Among Cooperatives. We have a good mutual aid process in place that is coordinated by the Alabama Rural Electric Association (AREA), our statewide association. They do a really good job of helping us behind the scenes, whether it’s securing crews or working to get a FEMA declaration to help pay for an event.

I would also like to thank our local EMA contacts for their hard work in helping us to submit costs to FEMA and working toward a FEMA Declaration. FEMA has a formula for determining whether an event is eligible for reimbursement and we are still waiting to see if we will be eligible for financial assistance to help offset the costs of the event.

It will be an expensive storm for us. We replaced approximately 20 poles and numerous oil circuit reclosers and transformers in addition to the many tear downs that require a considerable amount of labor.

And, of course, I would like to thank our membership for the many acts of kindness and patience you extended to us during the event.

None of us can predict the future but I pray we are spared a major hurricane this year. In fact, I would be perfectly content if the “Week Hurricane” we just experienced is the only storm activity we get this season.

I hope you have a good month.

Steve Sheffield General Manager

At Clarke-Washington Electric Membership Corporation, we believe in educating future generations to understand the electric system and how it operates. This year, 144 teachers across Alabama and northwest Florida became students at the Empower Energy Education Workshop in June. Five educators from the Clarke-Washington EMC area were able to attend the workshop and become empowered about energy education.

The Empower Energy Education Workshop started in 2017 as a way for PowerSouth and its members, such as Clarke-Washington EMC, to promote a balanced approach to energy education in the classroom. PowerSouth partnered with the National Energy Education Development Project (NEED) to empower teachers and provide them with the tools necessary to educate students about the electric industry. The workshop taught attendees about electric generation and distribution, with a focus on energy education.

“The Empower workshop had so many knowledgeable educators who were enthusiastic about teaching. To me, the educators were the most beneficial part. The hands-on activities and the energy kit were also very beneficial,” said Stacy Ferguson.

Attendees learned engaging ways to integrate energy and electrical education into their classrooms that is designed specifically for students in grades K-12. They also learned ways to present and teach electrical education by using fun and up-to-date resources and curriculum.

“I am taking back to my classroom a bag full of new tips and tricks to engage learners as well as some informational pieces and hands-on activities to go along with it. I teach English, but after this workshop and speaking with other ELA teachers, I see so many ways this can be incorporated into my curriculum,” said Xiomara Douglas.

During the workshop, teachers participated in many hands-on activities as well as breakout sessions. Two popular breakout sessions were the Energy Escape Room and Energy Enigma. The workshop also provided an opportunity for attendees to network with other teachers, learning from one another and building lifelong connections.

“As a cooperative, one of Clarke-Washington EMC’s founding principles is educating our members,” said Sarah Turner, communications specialist for Clarke-Washington EMC. “The Empower Workshop provides an opportunity to reach youth in ways we never imagined before by providing educators with the tools they need to present energy education in fun and exciting ways to their students.”

Clarke-Washington EMC looks forward to continuing to make a difference in energy education. If you would like to learn more about Empower, please contact Sarah Turner at Clarke-Washington EMC at 251.246.9081 or via email: s.turner@cwemc.com