Last Updated on October 2, 2024 4:00 pm
Over 300 line technicians consisting of Blue Ridge Energy crews and crews from sister cooperatives, contractors, plus over 100 personnel from tree and grading teams, are working around the clock to restore power to its service area affected by catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene. More assistance continues arriving daily from up and down the East Coast.
Damage to the electric cooperative’s system can be categorized as catastrophic. In many cases, infrastructure has to be completely rebuilt from the ground up. Crews continue sawing their way into areas devasted by massive vegetation loss and other communities remain cutoff from the world.
All Blue Ridge Energy staff are currently tasked with restoration efforts or supporting restoration efforts in the field. The cooperative is working diligently to complete work on three-phase lines, which are the main energy arteries, across our service territory. Work has begun in mass to fix damaged tap lines, which are the lines typically seen closer to homes and neighborhoods.
Crews are also making extensive efforts to repair redundant lines – or lines that typically backfeed areas in the event of an outage in an effort to get as many members restored as quickly as possible.
Even with hundreds of crews working 24/7, some of the hardest hit areas will take another week or longer to restore. Other areas the cooperative hopes to restore sooner as crews continue making progress.
Blue Ridge Energy serves some 80,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties as well as parts of Avery, Alexander and Wilkes counties. Learn more at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com or on the cooperative’s social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Attached Photos: Damage to areas in Ashe County
