ILLINOIS COMMENTARY

E. A. "Bucky" Jakins, Jr.

Co-op Disaster Team When disaster strikes it's nice to know you have friends

Electric co-op employees, boards, and managers are constantly looking for ways to lower our outage times. Over the years, we have become better at decreasing the number and length of outages. But then every once in awhile Mother Nature gives us a lesson in humility by tearing down lines in one night that took years to build. In your part of the country, it might be a tornado, or even worse, an ice storm. For those of us living along the coast we will always remember 2004 as the year of Hurricane Ivan —"Ivan the Terrible."

You never know when disaster will strike. Are you prepared? Do you have a personal outage kit? Is there a first-aid kit in your car? Are your smoke alarms working? Does your family know what to do in an emergency?

When disaster strikes, it's also nice to know you have friends you can count on to come to your aid. Across the country, we have those friends in the electric co-op "family." As individuals, our strength can be found in the principles we follow. There are also principles that co-ops follow. One of the principles is cooperation among cooperatives. That cooperation among cooperatives happens every day, but it really shines when there is a disaster.

Almost 1,000 utility workers from 15 states came to the aid of Baldwin Electric Membership Corporation in South Alabama following Hurricane Ivan. As the category three hurricane wreaked havoc on our service area on September 15 and 16, co-op crews and contractors from across the nation were already on the way to help. Out-of-state co-op crews began arriving on September 16 to assist us in restoring power to our 56,000 members. There are many stories about seeing the convoys make their way to Baldwin County. As the bucket trucks rolled into our parking lot in Summerdale, Baldwin EMC employees were outside cheering and clapping in gratitude that more help had arrived.

I am truly humbled by the response from our fellow co-ops.

The eye of Hurricane Ivan moved directly through the center of Baldwin County. The hurricane was devastating to our system and the members we serve. But with the exception of the coastal and beachfront areas, we were able to restore power to all undamaged meter services within only eight days. I consider this a remarkable and amazing accomplishment. However, we could not have accomplished this without the help of so many linemen from our sister cooperatives from Illinois and across the nation. They were truly heroes in hard hats. They worked incredibly long hours without complaint right alongside our employees.

Baldwin EMC and your co-op are part of a nationwide network of electric cooperatives and we are all ready to help each other when disaster strikes. Being able to respond so quickly is not just happenstance, but a highly organized effort. Workers came to Baldwin EMC from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Illinois sent more than 100 linemen.

We're very grateful for the support we have received. It was comforting to know we had so many folks pulling for us and with us. I am truly humbled by the response from our fellow co-ops. I want the rest of our co-op community to know how grateful and proud we are to have seen and felt the true cooperative spirit at work here at Baldwin EMC.

As we enter the Christmas season, let's all remember the true meaning of Christmas. Remember to give to those less fortunate. We don't have to wait for a disaster to help others.

E. A. "Bucky" Jakins, Jr., Executive Vice President and General Manager, Baldwin EMC, Summerdale, Alabama. __________________________________ The opinions and views of guest commentators are their own and may not represent those of the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives or the electric co-ops of Illinois.

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