Crews restore power due to surprise winter snow

Crews continue to restore power to electric cooperative
members following surprise winter snow

Dec. 10, 2017 – Crews from Alabama’s rural electric cooperatives have spent the weekend helping restore power to areas of the state hit by the surprise winter snowfall. By Sunday evening, power had been restored in many areas but crews continued to work in the southwest Alabama counties of Choctaw and Marengo served by Black Warrior EMC.  At peak, nearly 10,000 cooperative members in areas served by Black Warrior EMC, Coosa Valley EC and Central Alabama EC experienced outages due to heavy snow accumulations downing power lines and breaking electrical poles.

Crews from other cooperatives responded to the call for help, including crews from Baldwin EMC, Covington, Cullman, Dixie, Tombigbee, South Alabama, Southern Pine, Pea River, Wiregrass and Pioneer electric cooperatives.

Alabama’s 22 rural electric cooperatives deliver power to more than 1 million people, or a quarter of the state’s population, and they maintain more than 71,000 miles of power line.