My fellow members,
A couple of changes occurred with Helene. It appears with the speed at which Helene is moving, it will make landfall around 8:00 PM on Thursday, September 26. The second change is that it appears the track is slightly more to the west.
We are continuing to brace for the impact of a Category 3 Hurricane. We have made all possible preparations. This includes scheduling additional personnel, ensuring we have sufficient material to rebuild with, and making sure all equipment is operating correctly. We are doing all that we can to prepare to restore service as soon as practical.
I would like to reiterate I am concerned with the impact that we will see with Helene. This is a large and powerful hurricane. Colquitt EMC will be greatly affected if it continues its present course. While there is time, I urge all members to prepare for severe weather and power outages and to expect widespread outages. At the peak of Hurricane Idalia, Colquitt EMC experienced over 58,000 meters without power. With Hurricane Debby, 42,000 meters were without power at its peak. We are anticipating much higher outages during the peak of Hurricane Helene because this is such a large and powerful hurricane.
We continue to ask for your patience. Please know we will be giving our maximum effort until all power has been restored to all members.
Sincerely,
Danny Nichols
President/CEO