Jeff Lewis, General Manager
The second Monday in April is recognized as Lineman Appreciation Day by the electric cooperatives. While our linemen are recognized on this day, they should be acknowledged and appreciated throughout the year for the tireless hours they put in doing one of the most dangerous jobs. In fact, we designate the entire month of April as Lineman Appreciation Month.
We are a few months removed from winter storm Izzy, which brought high winds and ice through our state in January. So many of us were more than pleased to see the last two years in the rear-view mirror, with the hope that 2022 would return to some form of normalcy. However, Izzy promptly reminded us, with ice-laden trees and saturated ground, that the weather can turn our world upside down and that no matter how bad things seem, they can always get worse. Winter Storm Izzy left Little River with three damaged transformers, three broken cross arms, eight broken poles, and over 3,900 members without power. Even with this damage, we were fortunate compared to others. Our community experienced pockets of outages but we were able to have all power restored before midnight the same day. This is a testament to the preparation and organizational skills of the management team, office personnel, and crews. Their dedication to serving our membership, and the fact that they care about you, was demonstrated by their commitment and effort during this most recent event.
Little River takes great pride in our service and ability to get your lights back on in a timely manner, and I sincerely hope that this is unmistakable to all of you. We also take it personally when those who count on us are without power. No one wants your power back on any more than we do and we will not rest until that is the case. Most importantly, everyone kept “Safety First” as our top priority throughout the restoration process, ensuring not only that our members got their power restored, but also that every employee and contractor could return home to their families.
We also appreciate the many kind and supportive messages we received from you during the event, and we offer a special “thank you” back. Little River territory covers over 2,100 miles of distribution line and more than 14,500 active accounts with a crew of 18 linemen. It can be a thankless job at times when we as members lose sight of the work performed by linemen that allows us to flip a light switch and expect it to come on.
We proudly recognize all the men and women for the services they perform around the clock in dangerous conditions to keep power flowing and protect the public’s safety. So, please join me in thanking a lineman when you see them for their hard work and dedication not only this month but every month. I appreciate the job they do for Little River and the community and know you do as well.
JEFF LEWIS
General Manager
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