Baldwin EMC crews to assist Florida Co-op

EMC release
Posted 10/25/18

SUMMERDALE, Alabama — Baldwin EMC is sending 15 employees to assist Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Wewahitchka, Florida, in power restoration efforts following Hurricane Michael. …

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Baldwin EMC crews to assist Florida Co-op

Posted

SUMMERDALE, Alabama — Baldwin EMC is sending 15 employees to assist Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Wewahitchka, Florida, in power restoration efforts following Hurricane Michael. The crews departed from the co-op’s Summerdale headquarters at 5:15 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 25, and will include construction crews, service men and transportation employees.

Baldwin EMC crews began preparing for departure Wednesday afternoon, packing food, water and other necessary items to help sustain them.

“Our crews are eager to assist our sister co-ops in these situations,” said Baldwin EMC CEO Karen Moore. “As everyone who lives in our region knows, with hurricanes it’s never a matter of ‘if’ but of ‘when.’ We are always glad for the opportunity to send crews and share our resources with other cooperatives in need of assistance, and we’re grateful to be a part of a community of mutual aid.”

GCEC provides electric service to more than 20,000 electric accounts over 2,500 miles of line in six counties in the panhandle of Florida. Located east of Panama City, the cooperative’s distribution system suffered catastrophic damage from Hurricane Michael. Up to 49 percent of the co-op’s meters are still without electricity.

Baldwin EMC crews worked in the Dothan-area assisting Wiregrass Electric Cooperative restore power following Hurricane Michael, and eight workers are currently assisting Three Notch Electric Co-op in Donalsonville, Georgia, in addition to the crews heading to Florida.

Baldwin EMC is part of a nationwide network of electric cooperatives that assist each other in times of natural disasters. Baldwin EMC has provided assistance numerous times to other cooperatives across the southeast following hurricanes, tornadoes and ice storms.

Baldwin EMC is a member-owned electric cooperative serving more than 75,000 accounts in Baldwin and Monroe Counties in southwest Alabama, including Alabama’s Gulf Coast. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.