It seems that it’s becoming all too common lately: Lines of thunderstorms sweeping through our area, bringing with them dangerous winds, heavy rain and lightning. Recently, these storms have even produced several tornadoes, thankfully none as damaging as those that have ravaged Kansas and Nebraska in recent months.

Early on May 10, yet another line of thunderstorms swept across the Panhandle, leaving more than 10,000 members without power. By 5:15 a.m., just under 8,000 members were without power, the highest number affected at one time. The hardest hit areas were Baker and Holt, where evidence of multiple potential tornadoes was seen.

Due to the scale of the outages, our storm response protocol was activated, and nearly all employees turned their focus toward restoration efforts. By 11:30 a.m. on May 11, all affected members had been restored.

“Unsurprisingly, our line crews and all other involved departments and personnel at CHELCO performed exceedingly well,” said CEO Steve Rhodes. “We never enjoy going through major outage restoration, but it does provide a good refresher on our team’s storm response roles.”

Following the successful restoration of CHELCO’s system, our crews extended their assistance to our neighboring co-op to the west, Escambia River Electric Cooperative and our friends at Talquin Electric Cooperative near Tallahassee. This collaborative effort demonstrates our commitment to supporting our community in times of need.

“Each event is a learning opportunity, and this restoration was no exception. Our team performed admirably, and I am confident in our preparedness for the upcoming hurricane season,” reassured Matthew Avery, CHELCO SVP of Engineering and Operations, highlighting our readiness for future storms.

For tips on preparing for hurricane season, visit CHELCO.com/storm-center. To learn how CHELCO prepares for Hurricane Season, check out our “On the Grid” podcast episode on hurricane prep at CHELCO.com/podcast.