<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1nWo0M_0wCUZTsN00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1nWo0M_0wCUZTsN00" width="938" height="529" ><figcaption>Licking Valley RECC line workers came across this sign while restoring power at Blue Ridge Energy in North Carolina.</figcaption></figure>FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – It’s now been three weeks since Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of the United States, but Kentucky Electric Cooperatives still have more than 100 Kentucky line workers continuing efforts to restore power to sister co-ops in Georgia and North Carolina.Crews who have returned home to Kentucky are describing what they experienced among Helene’s flooding, landslides and tragedy.“This is the worst storm I’ve ever worked,” said Owen Electric Service Technician Bobby VonBokern, who has worked for the co-op since 2007 and has been assisting in Georgia. “At least every other span of wire is down. We’re basically building Satilla REMC’s whole grid from the ground up since its start in 1937. The damage was catastrophic.”At the height of the mutual aid response, more than 250 personnel from 19 Kentucky co-ops were working in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. In addition, more than 100 Kentucky co-op contractors also responded to the calls for help.“It is very heart-wrenching to see firsthand how the forces of nature can bring such disruption and devastation to these communities and the people that live here,” stated Brandon Keyton, a four-year Jackson Energy Lineman. “It is very humbling to be able to bring a little normality back to those affected by these storms. It weighs heavy on your heart but is worth the sacrifice away from our families back home.”Helene knocked out electric service to an estimated 1.25 million co-op members in the southeastern U.S, including 100,000 co-op consumer-members in Kentucky. Many of the crews who helped in other states responded first to mutual aid requests within Kentucky, such as Kenergy Corp., which assisted Clark Energy in Winchester.Kentucky’s electric cooperatives serve more than 1.8 million people – about 35 percent of the state’s population – in 117 of Kentucky’s 120 counties. Kentucky Electric Cooperatives are governed by a board consisting of one manager and one director from each of its 26 member systems.</div></body>

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Kentucky line workers still aiding in Helene recovery

FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – It’s now been three weeks since Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of the United States, but Kentucky Electric Cooperatives still have more than 100 Kentucky line workers continuing efforts to restore power to sister co-ops in Georgia and North Carolina. Crews who have returned home...