Crews from SVEC have been in the field since about 1:00 this afternoon assessing damage done to the co-op’s distribution system by Hurricane Idalia.
From these assessment activities, a plan for restoring service to the cooperative’s consumer-members as safely and quickly as possible is being formulated. The first steps of that plan will be carried out beginning at first light tomorrow by 108 lineworkers and tree removal crew members from SVEC and local contractors.
One-hundred additional lineworkers are due to arrive later tomorrow from electric cooperatives in Alabama and other parts of Florida. Seventy-two more tree removal workers have also been requested.
“The damage done to our lines, poles and transformers is extensive,” says SVEC’s CEO Mike McWaters. “So even though we have fantastic employees and have arranged for a lot of help from contractors and other cooperatives, it’s going to take a while to get everyone’s power back on.”
Damage done to the transmission lines feeding 10 of SVEC’s 13 substations is adding to the challenge of restoring power to the co-op’s consumer-members. SVEC is working with the owners of those lines, Duke Energy Florida and Florida Power & Light, to get power flowing again as soon as possible.
