DREMC sends aid to neighboring utilities

DREMC sends aid to neighboring utilities

Crews from Duck River Electric Membership Corporation (DREMC) are helping neighboring electric utilities restore electric service after severe storms and possible tornadoes left thousands of households and businesses in the dark.

Linemen and trucks from DREMC’s Sewanee Service Center and the Lewisburg District were dispatched to Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative, where high winds on Nov. 29-30 caused system damage and many outages.

Tullahoma Utilities Board (TUB) also sustained damage from high-velocity winds. Many customers were without power. Crews from the DREMC’s Manchester and Shelbyville districts were sent to provide mutual aid.

This is the second time in as many months that DREMC crews and equipment have been dispatched to assist after storms raked sister utilities and caused widespread power outages. Our linemen worked in Florida and South Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, which caused major utility system havoc during October.

“We cleared up our storm damage early on Wednesday morning and got everyone back on,” explained DREMC President and CEO Michael Watson.

“Sequachee Valley and TUB are our neighbors so naturally we wanted to help, just like they’ve aided us in the past. I am proud that our linemen are ready and willing to provide assistance in getting the lights back on for all the folks affected by the storms.”