Missouri co-op crews return to Louisiana
Just nine days after completing repairs to hurricane-damaged power lines in Louisiana, linemen from Missouri’s electric cooperatives are returning to assist Beauregard Electric Cooperative based in DeRidder, Louisiana, which saw another round of devastation from Hurricane Delta.
Missouri will send 108 linemen from 21 of its electric cooperatives into the fray, along with two safety employees from the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. Those in the northern and central parts of Missouri left on Sunday, Oct. 10, while those closer to Louisiana headed south on Monday. For many of them it will be the second time they have worked in Louisiana this year.
While damage was not as significant as that caused by Hurricane Laura, nearly all of the cooperative’s members again lost power in the hours following the second hurricane. The crews will have to replace between 500 and 1,000 poles this time. By comparison, there were 5,000 broken poles in the wake of Hurricane Laura.
Since Friday, power has been restored to 11,500 of the cooperative’s members. However, an addition 32,000 still await repairs.
The biggest issue facing the linemen will be flooding. “It’s soggy down there,” AMEC’s Rob Land says. “For this reason, we are sending extra track equipment.”
Five substations are without power, with one reportedly under water. Soggy ground will slow repairs. However, the Louisiana cooperative hopes work will proceed much quicker than it did after Hurricane Laura struck with no crew rotation required. “We are hoping this is a one and done,” Land says. “We will know more mid-week.”
Counting the latest group, Missouri has sent 467 linemen to assist Beauregard Electric Cooperative since August 29. A total of 500 electric co-op linemen from multiple states will assist with the latest efforts.
