Mutual aid crews are flooding ice storm-damaged Duck River Electric Membership Corp. service territory today as efforts double-down to restore power to homes, farms and businesses in Marshall, Bedford and Coffee counties.
Boynton Valley substation was a related crisis that DREMC had not expected. One of TVA’s 161-kV steel transmission poles crumpled under the weight of ice-coated lines and fell on the substation’s tap. DREMC was able to back-feed some of the area served by Boynton. In the meantime, TVA was sending a replacement pole from Muscle Shoals.
Some co-op members might not be reconnected until later today or Thursday. Due to below-zero temperatures forecasted for the evening and early morning hours of Feb. 18-19, DREMC urges those still affected by outages to take steps to protect themselves and their families from potentially dangerous conditions. A shelter is open have opened in Manchester.
Nine outside crews with their bucket trucks and equipment rallied to help DREMC. They came from Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative, South Pittsburg; Tri-County EMC, Lafayette; Middle Tennessee EMC, Murfreesboro; Shelbyville Power; and Fayetteville Public Utilities. Crews from Alabama are scene include those from Joe Wheeler EMC and Black Warrior Electric Cooperative. Contractor crews round out those assisting local linemen.
Press Release From DREMC Concerning Power Outages
