For those of us who have been a part of electric cooperatives for many years, it’s hard for a storm, even a hurricane, to be viewed as an outlier. We’ve seen a lot.
We’ve never seen anything like Hurricane Helene.
The devastation Helene caused is unprecedented in Little River Electric Cooperative’s 84-year history. Its rains drenched the ground as gale-force winds tore across our landscape, resulting in countless uprooted trees and broken limbs. It also resulted in nearly 400 broken utility poles scattered throughout the three counties we serve.
It has been a monumental challenge that required a monumental response—not only from us, but from you, as well.
Since that fateful morning in late September, we’ve had to rebuild a large portion of our more than 2,200 miles of line. That meant our employees, line workers and member services personnel worked long hours in tough conditions to do whatever it took to get your power back as quickly as possible.
We certainly could not have done it without the help of others. Line crews from other co-ops in South Carolina and throughout the Southeast made up a force of 125 line technicians and right-of-way workers, expediting a long, rigorous rebuild of our electrical infrastructure and restoration of your power.
We also could not have done it without your support. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate the extraordinary patience so many of you exhibited during an outage that, for some, lasted as long as two weeks. I want you to know that we never take an interruption of your power lightly, no matter how long it is. We understand the stress and extended outage puts on your health and well-being. Yet, despite that burden, so many of you continued to encourage and support our crews and each other.
I think all our spirits were lifted by the many accounts of our community coming together to help one another. Those with power shared their homes, utilities and appliances with those without. Neighbors cleared limbs and debris from one another’s yards and driveways. Churches, schools and other organizations raised funds and provided meals and essential items to residents in need.
For this response—your patience and encouragement, our community’s spirit of service, all the assistance we received and the dedication of our team—I am profoundly grateful.
I don’t know if we will ever see anything like this devastation again. If we do, I hope it’s not for a long, long time.
But whatever we may encounter in the future, I know our co-op and our community have what it takes to respond.
I’ve seen it.
CHAD STONE
Interim General Manager
