EREC Sends Line Crews and Bunk Trailers to Louisiana following Hurricane Ida
EREC has sent line crews to our fellow cooperative, DEMCO, in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana, to assist with power restoration following Category 4 Hurricane Ida. DEMCO reports 84,896 power outages this morning following Ida’s destructive path through their service territory after its August 29 landfall on the Louisiana coast.
“Following any storm, our first priority is to safeguard our cooperative and make sure our members have power,” said CEO Ryan Campbell. “As soon as we know our system is intact, then our crews are ready to go help others who were impacted by the storm.”
EREC has also sent five bunk trailers and a shower trailer to Washington – St. Tammany Electric Cooperative in Mandeville, Louisiana, to house cooperative line crews working to restore power there. One of the biggest challenges facing electric utilities during power restoration after disasters such as hurricanes is lodging. It is difficult to find housing for hundreds or even thousands of workers in an area whose infrastructure has been devastated. For this purpose, EREC acquired trailers and renovated them into bunk housing.
EREC’s five bunk trailers will sleep 33 people each, and the shower trailer has 10 showers and sinks. The trailers are self-contained, each equipped with its own generator.
“Rebuilding communities following a storm of this intensity will take time, but we want to do whatever we can to help speed the process,” said Campbell.
EREC is committed to helping our fellow cooperative in need. Our hearts go out to our many fellow cooperatives and their members who suffered damage after this catastrophic storm.
