Pee Dee Electric Sends Help to Kentucky Electric Cooperative

Continuing the long-time tradition of assisting electric cooperatives in need, Pee Dee Electric Cooperative, which serves six counties in northeastern South Carolina, has sent a crew of six experienced linemen to Kentucky. While at Salt River Electric Cooperative, these linemen, all volunteers, will help restore power to the consumers hit very hard by the recent ice storm. Pee Dee joins several other electric cooperatives in South Carolina sending crews including Mid-Carolina, Newberry and Aiken Electric Cooperatives. Taking fully equipped pick-up, bucket, and digger-pole trucks, the crew is expected to spend 10-12 days helping to restore power to the 45,000 member electric cooperative, headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, famous for the Federal Hill Plantation where Stephen Foster wrote “My Old Kentucky Home”. Utility officials say this is the hardest hit area of Kentucky and is part of more than 1 million homes and businesses knocked out of power from Missouri to West Virginia.

“These linemen, Jimmy Shumate, Eugene Bryant, Chris Blackmon, Alan Kinsaul, Chad Adams and Johnny Harrelson will be missed but their workload will be shared by the crews who remain in our service territory,” said Marion Lowry, Vice President of Operations for Pee Dee Electric. “All expenses will be reimbursed by Salt River Electric Cooperative, FEMA and other emergency agencies.”

Toy Nettles, President & CEO of Pee Dee Electric said, “Once again, Pee Dee Electric demonstrates cooperative principals. We thank their families for allowing them to go and the entire Pee Dee Electric Co-op family looks forward to their safe return.”