Help is on the way for Louisiana’s electric cooperatives in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. The storm landed on Sunday, August 29 near Port Fourchon, Louisiana as a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, only a few miles shy from 157 m.p.h., common in a Category 5 storm. The storm left more than 1 million people in Louisiana without power and
about 130,000 in Mississippi.

Following the principle of Cooperation Among Cooperatives, five distribution electric cooperatives in Oklahoma are en route to Louisiana where they will assist with restoration efforts in the coming weeks.

Oklahoma co-ops are working under the coordination of the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives and have been assigned to assist sister cooperative DEMCO, based in the East Baton Rouge parish, a hard-hit area. DEMCO is the largest electric cooperative in Louisiana serving more than 112,000 members; its service area is comprised of 8,887 miles of line. As of Tuesday morning, DEMCO reports 78,058 outages, nearly 69% of its membership remain
without power.

Given the extended nature of the restoration period, line crews are likely to rotate in upcoming weeks, according to Derec Janaway, safety and loss control director for the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives.

Oklahoma’s electric cooperatives will join the mutual aid effort alongside crews from 32 statesand the District of Columbia, according to the Edison Electric Institute (EEI). In addition to the
industry standard safety protocols, line crews will follow CDC guidelines in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Additional safety measures will be put in place to ensure crew members
and consumers stay safe during restoration efforts.

"Safety is our number one priority. We ask for prayers over all crews and essential workers as they perform their duties so everyone can return home to their loved ones safe and sound," Randy Pierce, CEO and general manager of DEMCO, said in a statement.

The following electric cooperatives are sending crews on Tuesday, August, 31, 2021:
• East Central Electric Cooperative, based in Okmulgee – 6 crew members
• Kay Electric Cooperative, based in Blackwell – 6 crew members
• Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative, based in Vinita – 8 members
• Oklahoma Electric Cooperative, based in Norman – 7 crew members
• Southeastern Electric Cooperative, based in Durant – 4 members

“Cooperation among cooperatives is one of the principles that guide electric cooperatives,” says Chris Meyers, general manager of the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives. “We are proud of the co-op crews that are lending a hand in this difficult time to help a sister cooperative. This is the cooperative difference at work. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in the hurricane’s path.”