RIO GRANDE — Buckeye Rural is sending four linemen to Georgia to assist in power restoration efforts resulting from Hurricane Irma.
BREC’s linemen are among the 69 linemen from Ohio electric co-ops who will be helping restore power in the service territories of Georgia co-ops Tri-County Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) and Jackson EMC. As of Tuesday morning, Tri-County EMC had 17,600 of their 21,000 members without power, while Jackson EMC had 63,000 of their 220,000 members without power.
“One of the fundamental principles of electric co-ops is what we call cooperation among cooperatives, which stipulates that co-ops come to each other’s aid in times of need,” said Tonda Meadows, general manager of Buckeye Rural. “When we heard that our co-op friends in Georgia needed our help, we didn’t hesitate to answer the call.”
Mutual aid efforts are being coordinated by Columbus-based Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, the statewide trade association for Ohio’s 25 electric co-ops.
Buckeye Rural, a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative, serves 18,500 members in nine counties of southeastern Ohio.
Submitted by Buckeye Rural.
