I’m sure many of you have seen the forecasts for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted “above-normal” storm activity. According to NOAA, conditions favor storm formation primarily due to the warm waters in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, development of La Nina conditions in the Pacific and reduced Atlantic trade winds.

Now that we are entering the season’s peak, I’d like to use this month’s column to reaffirm that CHELCO is prepared if a hurricane should make its way toward us.

You can count on CHELCO.

At CHELCO, we prepare for hurricane season well before it starts June 1. Annually, we hold special meetings and work sessions to review, update and improve our hurricane plan. In short, when we enter “storm mode,” everyone has a responsibility. Some of these are beyond the typical role of an employee at a cooperative. For instance, we have a key coordinator assigned to the food services. In their role, they ensure all staff, both in the office and out in the field, receive snacks and meals. This allows CHELCO staff to focus on the task at hand - restoration to our members. Ultimately, we’re owned by our members, so we must act accordingly.

What if a Category 4 or 5 hurricane

impacts CHELCO’s service area? This is, without a doubt, the event that we most hope to avoid. However, we can’t go through our preparations as if it will never happen. If a Category 4 or 5 hurricane were to strike Okaloosa or Walton County directly, we would likely face widespread outages, with tens of thousands of members without power for multiple days. As always, safety is our first priority.

Patience is pivotal.

After a storm, CHELCO must first determine the extent of damage. Crews assess the damage to our transmission lines, substations, and distribution lines and then identify the equipment and personnel required for a quick and safe power restoration effort. Crews will make repairs in the same order that power is delivered to you. Once damaged transmission lines and substations are repaired, crews focus on restoring power to essential facilities (fire stations, hospitals, grocery stores, etc.) and the greatest number of members in the least amount of time.

We’ve been there, and we’re talking about it.

It can be scary to think about the potentially life-threatening danger of hurricanes, but our staff are well-versed in how to respond. If you want a little more peace of mind that CHELCO is ready for hurricane season, I encourage you to listen to our episode titled “Hurricane Season at the Co-op” by visiting our website at CHELCO.com/podcast or by scanning the QR code below.

Make a plan.

Storms are a part of living where we do, but the best thing you can do is stay weather aware. I encourage you and your family to make a plan to ensure you are prepared for evacuation, prolonged power outages and damage to your home. If you need some guidance with this plan, visit Ready.gov. Additionally, our website is an excellent resource for outage information and storm prep.