Impacted investor-owned electric companies, electric cooperatives, and public power utilities continue to work around the clock to restore power safely and as quickly as possible to customers and communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, which caused catastrophic damage across 10 states, impacting nearly 6 million electricity customers in total, the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council said on Oct. 1.
In areas where access is not a challenge, crews continue to make significant restoration progress. As of 2:00 p.m. EDT Oct. 1, power has been restored to approximately 4.42 million -- or 73.6 percent -- of customers impacted by Helene.
In the hardest-hit areas, historic flooding, fallen trees and debris, and road and bridge closures are still limiting the ability to assess damage and provide customers with estimates for when power is likely to be restored. In some communities, the damage is so catastrophic that energy infrastructure needs to be completely rebuilt before power can be restored to those customers who are able to receive it, the ESCC said.
An army of nearly 50,000 workers from at least 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada is dedicated to the Helene response and restoration effort, making this one of the largest mutual assistance mobilizations ever.
The CEO-led ESCC is coordinating at the highest levels and on Oct. 1 convened its fourth call to discuss the restoration effort with senior government officials and executives from all segments of the electric power industry.
“It is devastating to see the catastrophic damage this hurricane has wrought in communities across the Southeast,” said Scott Corwin, president and CEO of the American Public Power Association. “Working with our industry and government partners, public power has sprung into action – activating our mutual aid network with a goal of getting the power back on as quickly and safely as possible. While it will be a long road to recovery – requiring significant rebuilding in many places – we will persist until the job is done.”
The ESCC serves as the principal liaison between leadership in the federal government and in the electric power sector, with the mission of coordinating efforts to prepare for national-level incidents or threats to critical infrastructure. Protecting the energy grid from threats that could impact national security and public safety is a responsibility shared by both the government and the electric power sector.
The ESCC facilitates and supports policy- and public affairs-related activities and initiatives designed to enhance the reliability and resilience of the energy grid. These activities include all hazards, steady-state preparation, and emergency preparedness, response, and recovery for the nation’s electricity sector.
OPPD Crews Head to Glade, Va.
On Oct. 2, OPPD reported that its mutual aid crew was headed southward now, to Glade, Virginia to continue assisting Hurricane Helene power restoration efforts. They continue to work with Appalachian Power.
On Sept. 30, OPPD said that its crews stayed overnight Saturday in Mount Vernon, Va., and left Sunday morning for Beckley, West Virginia. They arrived in Beckley shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday and rested up to start power restoration work in that area the morning of Sept. 30.
TVPPA Coordinating Mutual Aid for Members Impacted by Helene
Tennessee Valley Public Power Association on Sept. 30 said its members located in the upper northeast portion of the Tennessee Valley were severely affected by Hurricane Helene which dumped record amounts of rain, resulting in what has been categorized as a “hundred-year flood,” ravaging their communities. Some of these utilities suffered catastrophic damage to their infrastructure.
TVPPA has worked alongside Tennessee Municipal Electric Power Association and the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association to deploy personnel to the affected areas.
Crews from states both within and outside of the Valley are mobilized and helping make repairs that will enable these systems to restore power and other essential services when it is safe to do so, TVPPA said.
