Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
In the spirit of cooperation, Kosciusko REMC is joining line crews from Indiana's Touchstone Energy Cooperatives in answering the call for help from hurricane-stricken Alabama. In an effort to get into storm-damaged areas as soon as possible, 54 linemen and 27 trucks from 19 of Indiana's electric cooperatives, including Kosciusko REMC, headed south Thursday. They will be part of hurricane repair and recovery efforts for the next two weeks.
Kosciusko REMC lead lineman Phil Adams and lineman Larry Bloom left after the cooperative received a request for help from the Montgomery, Ala.-based Alabama Rural Electric Association. Terry Adkins, senior loss control specialist for the Indiana Statewide Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives Inc., coordinated the dispatch of the Indiana crews.
Both Kosciusko REMC linemen were thankful for the opportunity to lend their assistance to the devastated area. "It's about being able to help these people," said Adams, explaining why he volunteered for the trip. Tens of thousands of rural consumers in Alabama are without power because of Hurricane Ivan.
Adams, Bloom and the other Indiana crews will meet in Sikeston, Mo., before moving on to Covington Electric Cooperative in Andalusia, Ala. The 27 pieces of equipment making the trip south include bucket, digger and utility trucks. In addition to the tools regularly used in line work, the trucks will be loaded with safety equipment, extra water, medical supplies, flashlights, batteries and chainsaws.
At this time, crews are expecting to work 16-hour shifts each day for at least two weeks. But Bloom believes the hard work won't be without its rewards. "It's really an opportunity of a lifetime," he says. "It will be interesting to see other parts of the country, their different electrical systems ... and self-rewarding to help out in such a disaster like this."
According to Steve Rhodes, Kosciusko REMC CEO, the cooperative never hesitated to lend its assistance. "We are glad to be able to help our fellow cooperatives in the South who are going through such a difficult period," he said. "I'm very proud of our linemen, nearly all of whom willingly volunteered to sacrifice their time with their families to assist in such a way. That truly exemplifies the cooperative spirit."
For updated information on the Indiana crews and the work they are doing, visit the Indiana Statewide Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives Inc. Web site at www.indremcs.org and click on the "Indiana's Electric Cooperatives" section. New photos and stories will be added to the site as they become available.
Other area cooperatives included in the 19 Indiana Touchstone Energy Cooperatives committed to the Alabama restoration and rebuilding effort are: Fulton County REMC, Rochester; Marshall County REMC, Plymouth; Noble REMC, Albion; and Northeastern REMC, Columbia City.
Kosciusko REMC is a member-owned, Touchstone Energy electric cooperative serving 16,000 customers throughout Kosciusko County and into surrounding counties.
