A dozen linemen from Wheatland Electric Cooperative, Inc., made their way to South Carolina beginning on Oct. 3 to provide mutual aid assistance following the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene.
Crew members from Syracuse, Tribune, Leoti, Garden City, Great Bend, Caldwell and Harper joined nearly 70 additional lineworkers from 14 other Kansas co-ops to answer the call sent out by Aiken Electric Cooperative in Aiken, South Carolina, where Helene left more than 100,000 members without power.
At the height of the Helene, Aiken EC reported 92% of its system was down, leaving only a few thousand members with power. Just before crews from Kansas started their journey east, 50% of Aiken’s members were still without power. The damage was so severe, the Carolina co-op reported that “it’s more than power restoration but rather a complete system rebuild."
Together, Kansas co-ops convoyed nearly 40 pieces of equipment — from bucket trucks to diggers to skid steers — to aid in Aiken’s power restoration efforts, according to Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc., a statewide association.
Why? Cooperation among cooperatives is one of our seven guiding principles. By working together though local, national, regional and international structures, cooperatives improve services, bolster local economies, and deal more effectively with social and community needs.
“Our linemen embody the spirit of cooperation and service that defines our co-op. Aiken’s needs are great, and so we didn’t hesitate to lend a helping hand,” said Bruce W. Mueller, CEO/general manager. “It's not just about restoring power—it's also about restoring hope and resilience. We’re proud of our linemen, for their commitment and their dedication to being there for others in their time of need.”
The electric cooperative mutual aid model allows electric co-ops to work with each other during times of crisis. This approach permits co-ops to “borrow” restoration workers from other co-ops, thereby increasing the workforce response to areas impacted by a major outage event. It’s essentially about neighbors helping neighbors, even when those neighbors are fellow co-ops located hundreds of miles away.
Electric co-ops were formed to provide reliable electric service to our members at the lowest reasonable cost, and mutual aid has been a fundamental part of our DNA since co-ops were formed. The concept of mutual aid originated with the rural electrification efforts in the 1930s. From the very beginning, electric co-ops relied on each other to assist in times of need, and mutual aid provides an essential safety net in times of crisis.
