Upstate electric companies give update on restoration efforts
Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction in upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina on Friday morning, leaving over a million customers without power.The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina released the following statement at 2:55 p.m. Sunday:South Carolina’s electric cooperatives have now restored power to more than 200,000 consumers statewide, almost half of the 425,000 who lost power when Hurricane Helene tore through the Palmetto State Friday morning.More in-state and out-of-state power crews – about 200 line workers in total – have arrived to assist with restoration efforts in the hardest-hit areas of South Carolina, particularly in the Upstate and along the state’s western border.As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, approximately 218,000 co-op members remain without power, down from Friday’s peak of 425,000. Most of the remaining outages are concentrated in the western half of the state, where Helene’s destruction of critical electric infrastructure has surpassed that of even Hurricane Hugo in 1989.Cooperative members in western South Carolina should prepare for outages of at least week, if not longer, even as crews work to restore power as quickly as possible.”This will be a multi-day event,” said Mike Couick, CEO of the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. “We expect it’ll be at least a week before the hardest hit areas have power restored, and we urge those without power to make arrangements.”Key points of the ongoing restoration efforts include:Extensive damage: At least 1,655 cooperative power poles have been snapped and need replacement. This number is expected to rise as assessment continues.Widespread impact: The most devastated counties include Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Abbeville, Barnwell, Bamberg, Cherokee, Edgefield, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Oconee, Newberry, Pickens, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York.All hands on deck: Every S.C. cooperative has line crews working to restore power to South Carolinians. Crews from co-ops that are back online – including Berkeley Electric, Black River Electric, and Horry Electric – are now working to restore power for their fellow co-ops in the Upstate. A handful of other co-ops including Fairfield Electric, Lynches River Electric, Santee Electric, and Tri-County Electric, plan to send crews in the next day or two — as soon as they’ve completed restoration in their own areas. Additional help is coming from crews from Alabama, Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.Infrastructure challenges: About 8% of substations and delivery points remain offline, down from 39% on Friday morning. Cooperatives are working closely with transmission providers Duke Energy and Santee Cooper to re-energize substations.”We understand the significant inconvenience this extended power outage causes for our members,” Couick said. “Many of our crews are working tirelessly to restore power while their own homes remain damaged or without electricity. We’re deeply committed to restoring service as quickly and safely as possible.”Couick emphasized the scale of the challenge: “Much of our state hasn’t seen this level of damage since Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Some parts of the state are seeing even more damage than Hugo left. It may be hard to fathom since this weekend has been so warm and clear, but there are still so many trees down and roads blocked in parts of the state, particularly the Upstate, we still haven’t been able to completely assess the damage yet.”The cooperatives are urging the public to exercise caution and patience:Stay away from downed power lines.Use extreme care with portable generators, keeping them outdoors and at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vent openings.Slow down and be mindful of roadside line crews working to restore power.Duke Energy released the following statement Sunday afternoon:Our crews are working tirelessly to restore power to your area following the devastating damage caused by Helene. We expect to have power restored to the majority of customers no later than Friday evening, with the exception of areas that are inaccessible or unable to receive service. We recognize how challenging this situation is and appreciate your patience as we work to safely restore your service. Thank you for your continued understanding. Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative’s Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President talked about the restoration process at 12:45 p.m. Sunday:Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President Zach Hinton addressed members today about ongoing multi-day restoration efforts throughout our five-county service area.You can watch the video here, or read the full transcript here. Laurens Electric Cooperative sent us the following update at 11:18 a.m. Sunday:Crews continued work through the night, removing and replacing broken poles and transformers and cutting trees off power lines along 7,100 miles of line in 7 counties.Another substation was brought back online. 12 or 34 substations are functional at this time.Mutual Aid crews from Florida worked beside us in the dark, and we onboarded crews from co-ops in Ohio and Arkansas this morning. We expect the arrival of 100 more personnel are expected in the next day or two.As we stated previously, because of the catastrophic damage to our electric infrastructure from Hurricane Helene, there is no estimated time for full restoration yet. Many of our members will be without power until well into next week. We advise members to make contingency plans, and we understand the hardship will cause.We will be required to rebuild much of our infrastructure, as opposed to simple power restoration during normal outages. The number of broken poles throughout our system is at least 200 and counting. For reference, Helene’s destruction of critical electric infrastructure has surpassed that of even Hurricane Hugo in 1989.If you or someone in your household requires emergency medical assistance, please call 911 immediately. Those who are dependent on medical equipment at home and are without power may be eligible for a medical needs shelter. Contact the S.C. Dept. or Public Health at 1-855-472-3432.Our full work force is committed to working around the clock to bring power back to our members, and we greatly appreciate your patience during these hard days.Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative released the following update at 9:50 a.m. Sunday:As of 9:45 a.m., an estimated 66 percent of our members (approximately 48,750 in total) remain without service. Below are specific outage numbers by county: Anderson: 6,148Greenville: 5,538Oconee: 17,203Pickens: 19,808Spartanburg: 43Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative released the following statement at 8:53 p.m. Saturday:A third of all Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative members now have power as crews continue restoration work through historic damage.Engineers continue to reiterate that this remains a multi-day recovery. They also believe the positive momentum generated today will carry into Sunday and that outages will continue to decrease. Another 26 line personnel from Tennessee are arriving Sunday.Outside crews from Alabama, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia are already on the ground. We are grateful for the outside aid during this time. Mobile sleep trailers also arrived at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative’s headquarters this evening for crew rotation.Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative released the following statement at 5:50 p.m. Saturday:As of 5:30 p.m., an estimated 69 percent of our members (approximately 50,096 in total) remain without service. Approximately 61,600 members were without power at this time yesterday.Power has been restored to over 11,000 members in the last 24 hours as the multi-day restoration and rebuild efforts continue at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative.Crews will continue to work into the evening and overnight to restore services. To contextualize some of the damage we have assessed in the last 36 hours, we have provided an update on the confirmed number of broken poles in our system.On average, it takes a four-man crew about 3-4 hours to replace one broken pole. We have found 289 broken poles from Tropical Storm Helene, and our engineers estimate this number will grow significantly. Replacing three poles over a 12-hour shift is a full day’s work for a single crew. Replacing four is a feat in these circumstances. These are not simple repairs.Currently, we have 10 substations without transmission service from Duke Energy.The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina released the following statement at 3:45 p.m. Saturday:South Carolina’s electric cooperatives are working around the clock to restore power after Hurricane Helene tore a path of destruction through the Palmetto State Friday morning.As of 3 p.m. Satuday, Sept. 28, approximately 276,000 co-op members remain without power, down from a peak of 425,000 on Friday morning. Most of the remaining outages are concentrated in the western half of the state, and particularly the Upstate, where Helene’s destruction of critical electric infrastructure has surpassed that of even Hurricane Hugo in 1989.Cooperative members in western South Carolina should prepare for outages of at least a week, if not longer, as crews repair and replace a mangled power grid.”This is not a simple restoration job,” said Mike Couick, CEO of The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. “For many areas, particularly in the Upstate and along the western border of South Carolina, co-ops are essentially rebuilding our electric system from the ground up.”A few stats that illustrate the extent of the damage:At least 1,400 cooperative power poles – and counting – were snapped by the storm and require replacement. For context, it takes about one to four hours, on average, for a crew of four to replace a single pole.Just under half of the cooperative system’s substations across the state – about 80 in total – remain offline due to transmission outages.The cooperatives’ materials supplier, CEEUS, is shipping out 15 tractor trailer loads of equipment and supplies a day – about the same volume of materials as were required in the aftermath of Hugo. Cooperatives are requesting about 10 times as much material as usual for a typical storm restoration effort. The required materials include wood crossarms, overhead transformers, fuses, hot line clamps, and other equipment typically seen on a power pole.Crews from every South Carolina electric cooperative are working in the field, including some who have completed restoration work for their co-ops on the coast and now are helping Upstate co-ops restore power.Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative released the following statement at 3:40 p.m. Saturday:Over 300 Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative crew members and outside aid are actively restoring power after Tropical Storm Helene caused widespread system damage.Multi-day outages remain expected, as nearly 1 million customers throughout the 11-county Upstate region are still without power as of noon today. Our shift change happened before daybreak, and crews have continued to assess and repair our grid after this historic damage. We ask that our members not approach our crews to provide them with the space they need to return service safely. Progress is being made. We will continue to provide updates today.Duke Energy released the following statement at 2:40 p.m. Saturday:As of 1 p.m., about 1.1 million customers remain without power, according to Duke Energy.Workers continue assessing damage, making repairs and rebuilding infrastructure following severe damage caused by Helene.Duke Energy workers have labored through record flooding, road closures, storm debris and more over the past 24 hours to restore power to 723,000 customers in the Carolinas.The company said they expect the majority of customers in the Central, Triad and Peedee areas to have their power restored by midnight on Sunday, but many will be restored before then.Workers continue to encounter major challenges accessing areas across the North Carolina mountains and Upstate of South Carolina, limiting the company’s ability to assess damage and provide customers with estimates for when power is likely to be restored. Duke Energy is working with local and state officials to gain access to the hardest-hit areas where roads are obstructed. The company is also supplementing its damage assessment efforts with helicopters and drones and will publish estimated power restoration times as soon as possible.“Historic flooding, debris and road closures remain an incredible challenge to assessing the severe damage to our system and restoring power in the North Carolina mountains and South Carolina Upstate,” said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy storm director for the Carolinas. “Our crews appreciate our customers’ patience and support as they continue working around the clock to safely and quickly restore power.”Previous Story:As of Saturday morning, approximately a million customers are still without power in the Upstate.Duke Energy stated due to the severity of damage experienced and ongoing flooding challenges, it expects a multi-day restoration effort.Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative said, “Hurricane Helene came with damaging winds and rain that brought down many trees, leaving over 60,000 Blue Ridge members without power. It will be several days before all restoration is complete.”Laurens Electric Cooperative Inc. gave an update on the widespread outages on Friday evening in a post on Facebook: “Restoration efforts are ongoing as crews work into Friday evening to respond to unprecedented damage to our power grid caused by Tropical Storm Helene. As of 7 p.m. tonight, approximately 90% of our members are without power and only 3 of 34 substations are operational.”The greatest challenge facing the cooperative is the service interruption to these substations, which remain offline due to transmission issues related to Duke Energy. Transmission lines, which function as the main arteries of our power grid, feed these substations — crucial hubs that distribute power to our members. Until these transmission lines are restored, power to the substations will remain out.”According to the latest report, Duke may be able to provide us an estimate for restoring power to their transmission lines by Saturday, late in the day.”In addition to power lines, communication lines are down in our area, complicating the use of technology like our outage map and text notification system. The best way to report a power outage is by calling (864) 682-3141 and selecting the prompt to use our automated reporting system,” LEC said.The electric company continued, “Hundreds of personnel are working throughout our seven-county service area, removing and replacing broken power poles, cutting away trees, and preparing infrastructure for the moment power starts flowing again. Crews from other co-ops in different states are mobilizing to help with restoration work. Efforts will continue through the weekend and into next week. Many of our members may remain without power for days. If a member is without power and suffers from a life-threatening medical condition requiring electricity, we urge them to find alternate accommodations if at all possible and call 911 in the event of a medical emergency.”
Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction in upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina on Friday morning, leaving over a million customers without power.
The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina released the following statement at 2:55 p.m. Sunday:
South Carolina’s electric cooperatives have now restored power to more than 200,000 consumers statewide, almost half of the 425,000 who lost power when Hurricane Helene tore through the Palmetto State Friday morning.
More in-state and out-of-state power crews – about 200 line workers in total – have arrived to assist with restoration efforts in the hardest-hit areas of South Carolina, particularly in the Upstate and along the state’s western border.
As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, approximately 218,000 co-op members remain without power, down from Friday’s peak of 425,000. Most of the remaining outages are concentrated in the western half of the state, where Helene’s destruction of critical electric infrastructure has surpassed that of even Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
Cooperative members in western South Carolina should prepare for outages of at least week, if not longer, even as crews work to restore power as quickly as possible.
“This will be a multi-day event,” said Mike Couick, CEO of the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. “We expect it’ll be at least a week before the hardest hit areas have power restored, and we urge those without power to make arrangements.”
Key points of the ongoing restoration efforts include:
- Extensive damage: At least 1,655 cooperative power poles have been snapped and need replacement. This number is expected to rise as assessment continues.
- Widespread impact: The most devastated counties include Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Abbeville, Barnwell, Bamberg, Cherokee, Edgefield, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Oconee, Newberry, Pickens, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York.
- All hands on deck: Every S.C. cooperative has line crews working to restore power to South Carolinians. Crews from co-ops that are back online – including Berkeley Electric, Black River Electric, and Horry Electric – are now working to restore power for their fellow co-ops in the Upstate. A handful of other co-ops including Fairfield Electric, Lynches River Electric, Santee Electric, and Tri-County Electric, plan to send crews in the next day or two — as soon as they’ve completed restoration in their own areas. Additional help is coming from crews from Alabama, Arkansas, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.
- Infrastructure challenges: About 8% of substations and delivery points remain offline, down from 39% on Friday morning. Cooperatives are working closely with transmission providers Duke Energy and Santee Cooper to re-energize substations.
“We understand the significant inconvenience this extended power outage causes for our members,” Couick said. “Many of our crews are working tirelessly to restore power while their own homes remain damaged or without electricity. We’re deeply committed to restoring service as quickly and safely as possible.”
Couick emphasized the scale of the challenge: “Much of our state hasn’t seen this level of damage since Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Some parts of the state are seeing even more damage than Hugo left. It may be hard to fathom since this weekend has been so warm and clear, but there are still so many trees down and roads blocked in parts of the state, particularly the Upstate, we still haven’t been able to completely assess the damage yet.”
The cooperatives are urging the public to exercise caution and patience:
- Stay away from downed power lines.
- Use extreme care with portable generators, keeping them outdoors and at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vent openings.
- Slow down and be mindful of roadside line crews working to restore power.
Duke Energy released the following statement Sunday afternoon:
Our crews are working tirelessly to restore power to your area following the devastating damage caused by Helene.
We expect to have power restored to the majority of customers no later than Friday evening, with the exception of areas that are inaccessible or unable to receive service.
We recognize how challenging this situation is and appreciate your patience as we work to safely restore your service.
Thank you for your continued understanding.
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative’s Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President talked about the restoration process at 12:45 p.m. Sunday:
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President Zach Hinton addressed members today about ongoing multi-day restoration efforts throughout our five-county service area.
You can watch the video here, or read the full transcript here.
Laurens Electric Cooperative sent us the following update at 11:18 a.m. Sunday:
Crews continued work through the night, removing and replacing broken poles and transformers and cutting trees off power lines along 7,100 miles of line in 7 counties.
Another substation was brought back online. 12 or 34 substations are functional at this time.
Mutual Aid crews from Florida worked beside us in the dark, and we onboarded crews from co-ops in Ohio and Arkansas this morning. We expect the arrival of 100 more personnel are expected in the next day or two.
As we stated previously, because of the catastrophic damage to our electric infrastructure from Hurricane Helene, there is no estimated time for full restoration yet. Many of our members will be without power until well into next week. We advise members to make contingency plans, and we understand the hardship will cause.
We will be required to rebuild much of our infrastructure, as opposed to simple power restoration during normal outages. The number of broken poles throughout our system is at least 200 and counting. For reference, Helene’s destruction of critical electric infrastructure has surpassed that of even Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
If you or someone in your household requires emergency medical assistance, please call 911 immediately. Those who are dependent on medical equipment at home and are without power may be eligible for a medical needs shelter. Contact the S.C. Dept. or Public Health at 1-855-472-3432.
Our full work force is committed to working around the clock to bring power back to our members, and we greatly appreciate your patience during these hard days.
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative released the following update at 9:50 a.m. Sunday:
As of 9:45 a.m., an estimated 66 percent of our members (approximately 48,750 in total) remain without service.
Below are specific outage numbers by county:
- Anderson: 6,148
- Greenville: 5,538
- Oconee: 17,203
- Pickens: 19,808
- Spartanburg: 43
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative released the following statement at 8:53 p.m. Saturday:
A third of all Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative members now have power as crews continue restoration work through historic damage.
Engineers continue to reiterate that this remains a multi-day recovery. They also believe the positive momentum generated today will carry into Sunday and that outages will continue to decrease. Another 26 line personnel from Tennessee are arriving Sunday.
Outside crews from Alabama, Michigan, Ohio and Virginia are already on the ground. We are grateful for the outside aid during this time. Mobile sleep trailers also arrived at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative’s headquarters this evening for crew rotation.
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative released the following statement at 5:50 p.m. Saturday:
As of 5:30 p.m., an estimated 69 percent of our members (approximately 50,096 in total) remain without service. Approximately 61,600 members were without power at this time yesterday.
Power has been restored to over 11,000 members in the last 24 hours as the multi-day restoration and rebuild efforts continue at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative.
Crews will continue to work into the evening and overnight to restore services. To contextualize some of the damage we have assessed in the last 36 hours, we have provided an update on the confirmed number of broken poles in our system.
On average, it takes a four-man crew about 3-4 hours to replace one broken pole. We have found 289 broken poles from Tropical Storm Helene, and our engineers estimate this number will grow significantly.
Replacing three poles over a 12-hour shift is a full day’s work for a single crew. Replacing four is a feat in these circumstances. These are not simple repairs.
Currently, we have 10 substations without transmission service from Duke Energy.
The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina released the following statement at 3:45 p.m. Saturday:
South Carolina’s electric cooperatives are working around the clock to restore power after Hurricane Helene tore a path of destruction through the Palmetto State Friday morning.
As of 3 p.m. Satuday, Sept. 28, approximately 276,000 co-op members remain without power, down from a peak of 425,000 on Friday morning. Most of the remaining outages are concentrated in the western half of the state, and particularly the Upstate, where Helene’s destruction of critical electric infrastructure has surpassed that of even Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
Cooperative members in western South Carolina should prepare for outages of at least a week, if not longer, as crews repair and replace a mangled power grid.
“This is not a simple restoration job,” said Mike Couick, CEO of The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. “For many areas, particularly in the Upstate and along the western border of South Carolina, co-ops are essentially rebuilding our electric system from the ground up.”
A few stats that illustrate the extent of the damage:
- At least 1,400 cooperative power poles – and counting – were snapped by the storm and require replacement. For context, it takes about one to four hours, on average, for a crew of four to replace a single pole.
- Just under half of the cooperative system’s substations across the state – about 80 in total – remain offline due to transmission outages.
- The cooperatives’ materials supplier, CEEUS, is shipping out 15 tractor trailer loads of equipment and supplies a day – about the same volume of materials as were required in the aftermath of Hugo. Cooperatives are requesting about 10 times as much material as usual for a typical storm restoration effort. The required materials include wood crossarms, overhead transformers, fuses, hot line clamps, and other equipment typically seen on a power pole.
Crews from every South Carolina electric cooperative are working in the field, including some who have completed restoration work for their co-ops on the coast and now are helping Upstate co-ops restore power.
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative released the following statement at 3:40 p.m. Saturday:
Over 300 Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative crew members and outside aid are actively restoring power after Tropical Storm Helene caused widespread system damage.
Multi-day outages remain expected, as nearly 1 million customers throughout the 11-county Upstate region are still without power as of noon today.
Our shift change happened before daybreak, and crews have continued to assess and repair our grid after this historic damage.
We ask that our members not approach our crews to provide them with the space they need to return service safely. Progress is being made. We will continue to provide updates today.
Duke Energy released the following statement at 2:40 p.m. Saturday:
As of 1 p.m., about 1.1 million customers remain without power, according to Duke Energy.
Workers continue assessing damage, making repairs and rebuilding infrastructure following severe damage caused by Helene.
Duke Energy workers have labored through record flooding, road closures, storm debris and more over the past 24 hours to restore power to 723,000 customers in the Carolinas.
The company said they expect the majority of customers in the Central, Triad and Peedee areas to have their power restored by midnight on Sunday, but many will be restored before then.
Workers continue to encounter major challenges accessing areas across the North Carolina mountains and Upstate of South Carolina, limiting the company’s ability to assess damage and provide customers with estimates for when power is likely to be restored. Duke Energy is working with local and state officials to gain access to the hardest-hit areas where roads are obstructed. The company is also supplementing its damage assessment efforts with helicopters and drones and will publish estimated power restoration times as soon as possible.
“Historic flooding, debris and road closures remain an incredible challenge to assessing the severe damage to our system and restoring power in the North Carolina mountains and South Carolina Upstate,” said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy storm director for the Carolinas. “Our crews appreciate our customers’ patience and support as they continue working around the clock to safely and quickly restore power.”
Previous Story:
As of Saturday morning, approximately a million customers are still without power in the Upstate.
Duke Energy stated due to the severity of damage experienced and ongoing flooding challenges, it expects a multi-day restoration effort.
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative said, “Hurricane Helene came with damaging winds and rain that brought down many trees, leaving over 60,000 Blue Ridge members without power. It will be several days before all restoration is complete.”
Laurens Electric Cooperative Inc. gave an update on the widespread outages on Friday evening in a post on Facebook:
“Restoration efforts are ongoing as crews work into Friday evening to respond to unprecedented damage to our power grid caused by Tropical Storm Helene. As of 7 p.m. tonight, approximately 90% of our members are without power and only 3 of 34 substations are operational.
“The greatest challenge facing the cooperative is the service interruption to these substations, which remain offline due to transmission issues related to Duke Energy. Transmission lines, which function as the main arteries of our power grid, feed these substations — crucial hubs that distribute power to our members. Until these transmission lines are restored, power to the substations will remain out.
“According to the latest report, Duke may be able to provide us an estimate for restoring power to their transmission lines by Saturday, late in the day.
“In addition to power lines, communication lines are down in our area, complicating the use of technology like our outage map and text notification system. The best way to report a power outage is by calling (864) 682-3141 and selecting the prompt to use our automated reporting system,” LEC said.
The electric company continued, “Hundreds of personnel are working throughout our seven-county service area, removing and replacing broken power poles, cutting away trees, and preparing infrastructure for the moment power starts flowing again. Crews from other co-ops in different states are mobilizing to help with restoration work. Efforts will continue through the weekend and into next week. Many of our members may remain without power for days. If a member is without power and suffers from a life-threatening medical condition requiring electricity, we urge them to find alternate accommodations if at all possible and call 911 in the event of a medical emergency.”
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