This morning, eleven line workers left Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative to assist Beauregard Electric Cooperative with power restoration after Hurricane Laura devastated Louisiana late last month.

“Our crews left before sunrise this morning, headed to DeRidder, Louisiana, along with eleven trucks loaded with supplies and equipment,” said Michael Partin, president/CEO of Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative. “We are proud of these volunteers who are leaving their families to help our sister cooperative and their members who are in need.”

Roughly two weeks after Hurricane Laura’s historic landfall, Beauregard Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BECi) continues its rebuilding efforts.

Hurricane Laura’s Category 4 winds broke over 5,000 poles and caused a system-wide outage for BECi when the storm made landfall. Assisted by 1,100 utility workers from nearly 12 states, the co-op has since restored power to roughly 11,200 of its 43,000 members. Full power restoration to all BECi members is expected to take an additional three weeks.

Several other electric cooperatives in Tennessee also sent volunteers to help restoration in Louisiana.

“Cooperation among cooperatives’ is a principle we believe in and practice at SVEC,” said Partin. “There have been times we had to call on others to help us after storm damage caused massive outages across our system. So when we get the call to come help others, we gladly accept.”

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