More than 20 team members from Jackson EMC are heading to the Florida panhandle to assist a fellow electric cooperative restore power in the wake of Hurricane Michael.
The Jackson EMC crews will assist Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, based in Wewahitchka, Florida, restore power to its members. Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative serves 20,815 members. Its service area includes Panama City and Mexico Beach, which were some of the hardest hit areas by the hurricane on Oct. 11. As of Friday, the cooperative reports that more than 1,900 meters, or about 9 percent of its total distribution system, remain without power.
Jackson EMC sent 18 linemen, two foremen and one mechanic Friday to Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative to assist in the restoration effort. The crews represent all of Jackson EMC’s district offices.
Jackson EMC also recently sent more than 60 team members to Grady EMC in Cairo, Georgia, to assist in the restoration effort.
According to a media release, one of the principles for co-ops is cooperation among cooperatives. As a fellow cooperative, when asked, Jackson EMC provides assistance during major outages.
The cooperative serves more than 229,000 meters on 14,000 miles of energized wire.
