DeFuniak Springs (Aug. 17, 2021) - Tropical Storm Fred made landfall Monday afternoon around Cape San Blas, and all CHELCO members who were affected by the storm were fully restored by Monday evening.

CHELCO crews, contractors and support staff worked into the evening Monday, restoring power to nearly 1,500 total members who lost power due to the storm’s damage. Most damage to CHELCO’s system was in the Red Bay area, where around 1,000 members lost power due to fallen trees.

“Tropical Storm Fred was gentler to us than anticipated, and that’s OK,” said Matthew Avery, CHELCO SVP of Engineering and Operations. “We planned well and were prepared for the worst, which is all very good practice for the more severe storms.”

CHELCO is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative serving more than 58,000 accounts in Walton, Okaloosa, Holmes and Santa Rosa counties.

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