Slash Pine Electric has about 26 employees and all are involved, in one way or another, in the restoration process. How many employees does to the co-op have and how many are directly involved in power restoration?
Personal preparations are the full responsibility of the individual. There is no guarantee that electric service will not be interrupted in the event of a storm, so emergency plans should be made well in advance. Members on this list are strongly encouraged to seek shelter in an emergency facility or travel inland to an area where storm damage is less likely to occur. Slash Pine Electric also maintain lists of members dependent on life support medical systems. We give special consideration to public safety facilities such a hospitals, nursing homes, fire departments, emergency shelters, water and sewage systems, grocery stores and town halls. As a rule of thumb, power is usually restored in this order: Our goal is to restore service to as many consumers as rapidly and safely as possible. How is power restored and how are priorities set? It’s the trees and other things which are affected by the winds that bring down electric systems. If you took an average electric system and put it out in the middle of a field, the winds would blow right by it and not affect the electric system. Our electric systems are built to easily withstand 65+ MPH winds. Very rarely does wind alone affect an electric system. How does wind affect an electric cooperative system? Keeping the power lines right of ways clear reduces the chances of tree-related outages. After a hurricane, downed trees and branches are usually the primary cause of outages. In addition to ensuring the lines, poles and transformers are in top-notch condition, the state’s electric cooperatives employ an aggressive tree trimming and right-of-way clearing program. Preventative maintenance is the best tool against outages.
What preventive measures do you take to minimize outages? It also takes a longer amount of time and specialized equipment to find problems with underground cable. Underground lines, however, may present restoration challenges when flooding is involved. While underground lines are not outage proof, they are less susceptible to wind damage, which is always present in hurricane situations. Wouldn’t it be better if your lines were underground? Frequently Asked Questions about Power Outages