Pickwick Electric provides Thursday morning update on power restoration
SELMER, Tenn. – Pickwick Electric Cooperative provided a status update as of 9 a.m. on Thursday, January 29, regarding efforts to restore power to individuals.
Good morning. As of now, 12,400 PEC members remain without power. Restoration work continues, supported by more than 150 additional lineworkers currently on the system, with more crews arriving today to assist.
This is the single largest restoration effort at PEC in at least 20 years. PEC manages approximately 2,400 miles of electric line, and this storm caused damage from one end of our system to the other. That widespread, systemwide damage to lines, poles and trees continues to make restoration slower than any of us would like, despite the urgent focus and best efforts of everyone involved.
Today, lineworkers will be focusing on the following areas: along Highway 57, State Line Road area, areas north of 3 Way, Gilchrist, Shiloh, Rosewood, Holiday Hills, Capooth, Sardie Henry, Frog Hollow, Bluebird Lane, Mocking Bird, Sandpoper Point, Ramer Selmer Road, Moore School House area, Damon North and South, Leath North, Holiday Hills and YMCA Lane. Crews will be working in other areas of the system as well.
Behind the scenes, a restoration effort of this magnitude requires significant coordination and support. The State of Tennessee has provided lodging for visiting lineworkers, along with hot breakfast and dinner each day. Tennessee Valley Authority has provided a laundry trailer to support crews who have been working here for multiple days. The Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief mobile kitchen is set up at our office, and our own PEC employees are delivering lunches to crews across the system so lineworkers can stay in the field and continue making progress. A special thank goes to many of our PEC staff who have been supporting this logistics effort.
As we move into this phase of restoration, safety becomes an even greater concern. Lineworkers are tired, and the remaining repairs are often the most complex. We are holding briefings to reinforce that safety remains the top priority. The most important thing our lineworkers can do today is finish their shift in one piece.
We ask that you continue to keep these men and women — and their families — in your thoughts and prayers.
We know this has been an incredibly difficult week, and we sincerely appreciate the patience, understanding and support shown by our members as restoration continues. We will not stop until every member has power.
We’ll share another update later today.
Remember to report outages to 1-866-260-4025 and not to this page.
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