June 19, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Black Warrior Crews Continue to Restore Electricity
More storms over weekend knock out power to thousands additional homes
DEMOPOLIS, Ala. – Black Warrior EMC crews, with help from other electric cooperatives, worked through the weekend to restore electricity to thousands of homes and businesses as strong storms continued to hit multiple counties in Black Warrior’s service areas.
Crews from co-ops in Arkansas and Georgia arrived Saturday night to assist Black Warrior EMC workers in the Ralph and Fosters areas in south Tuscaloosa County that were hit hard by a wave of storms. However, Black Warrior EMC had to shift some of its crews back to Marengo and Choctaw counties after a storm early Sunday morning knocked out power to about 1,500 members in those counties.
“Since Wednesday of last week, our crews have been working 16-plus hours a day, even in the rain, restoring power in many in the 12 counties we provide service,” Black Warrior EMC Manager Daryl Jones said Sunday night. “In the Ralph and Fosters areas, many poles have been replaced on the main feeder lines, yet there are many more to go.”
Prior to the weekend storms, rounds of severe storms between Wednesday and Friday knocked out electricity to close to 15,000 homes and businesses served by Black Warrior EMC, Jones said. Black Warrior, assisted by crews from two other Alabama co-ops, had restored power to most of those homes before the additional storms over the weekend.
“Our sister cooperatives in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi were unable to provide their usual assistance as they were and still are fighting the same issues with these daily storms that bring unprecedented wind speeds of 60-80 mph,” Jones said. “It’s like small hurricanes that you can’t predict where they will hit next.”
Customer service representatives also have been working day and night dispatching calls from members. To report an outage, call 855-462-9362 (855-GOBWEMC).
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