How investments pay off when Mother Nature hits.
Yesterday’s storm brought extremely high winds and caused over 1,500 outages at its peak across our service area. Thanks to the hard work of our crews, most power has now been restored. A small number of outages remain in areas that are still unsafe to reenergize, and those will be completed as soon as conditions allow.
While storms like this are never easy, they do show something important: the work done before the storm matters just as much as the work done during and after it.
Here’s what your cooperative’s investments meant during this storm:
Right-of-way clearing helped reduce tree contact with power lines. Fewer trees on the line meant fewer outages and faster restoration when damage did occur.
Pole inspection and replacement ensured stronger, more secure poles. When high winds pushed through, those upgraded poles held steady.
Sectionalizing the system allowed crews to isolate damage and restore power to unaffected areas more quickly. In many cases, that meant neighbors nearby never lost power at all.
System upgrades made during our operational fiber buildout also played a role. The additional anchors added as part of the operational fiber installation provided additional strength, making the entire system more resilient.
Simply put, these weren’t just upgrades; they helped reduce the impact of the storm and kept outages from being more widespread and longer-lasting.
We’re proud of the progress we’ve made, but we’re not done. Our crews are still working, and we will continue investing in a stronger, more reliable system for the future.
Because at Petit Jean Electric, this is what it looks like when preparation meets reality.
By Angie Hutchins, Communications