Day By Day

On August 27, 3 days before Hurricane Idalia made landfall, Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC) was already preparing for the storm. The cooperative’s leaders activated the Emergency Restoration Plan at 4 o’clock that afternoon, monitoring reports from weather services, readying employees to work long hours and arranging for additional help from contractors and Florida’s statewide electric cooperative association.

But it’s impossible to predict all that will be needed in the aftermath of an unprecedented event like this hurricane was to our area. By the time the rain stopped and the winds died down, SVEC’s system had sustained more damage than at any other time in the cooperative’s history. Repairs would take an equally unprecedented workforce and a small army to support it. Here’s a day-by-day account of how SVEC restored power to the 99% of its consumer members who lost power because of the storm.

How SVEC Powered up After Hurricane Idalia

Wednesday, August 30

Hurricane Idalia sweeps through Florida, leaving almost all of SVEC’s 28,500 consumer members without power. At 1 p.m., immediately after the storm passes, the cooperative begins assessing damage to its system, working with emergency management, sheriff’s offices, and local road departments to remove trees and clear power lines obstructing roadways.

Thursday, August 31

At 1st light, 176 SVEC employees and contractors begin restoring power.

SVEC crews receive reinforcements as they clear debris and make repairs to the main feeder lines. 100 more lineworkers arrive to help from electric cooperatives based in Alabama and other parts of Florida.

Damage to FPL and Duke Energy transmission lines feeding 10 of SVEC’s 13 substations adds to the challenge of restoring power.

Saturday, September 2

Power has been restored to providers of critical services such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities and the Live Oak Publix, Lowes and Walmart stores. Power has also been restored to all 13 of SVEC’s substations and about 47% of the co-op’s consumer-members. Over 1,000 people continue working to get everyone’s lights back on, and the extent of the damage to SVEC’s system has become clearer. Crews have logged over 4,500 instances of damaged poles, lines and other equipment.

Tuesday, September 5

Crews have restored power to more than 20,500 of the cooperative’s consumer members.

The total workforce has grown to over 2,000 lineworkers, vegetation clearers and support staff, laboring night and day to restore power. SVEC has multiple staging sites across the system to more efficiently support the work.

Friday, September 8

SVEC has restored electric service to 99% of its consumer members. Many of the remaining small, isolated outages must wait until repairs have been made to a home’s electrical equipment. Crews continue working into the night and weekend to reconnect everyone who can safely receive power.