INDIANA, USA — Indiana's electric cooperatives are going out to help with Hurricane Helene recovery. Crews are deploying to Georgia on Thursday.
The storm is expected to make landfall Thursday evening as a category 4 hurricane and create widespread property damage in the southeastern part of the U.S.
An estimated 40 line workers from 12 of Indiana's electric cooperatives are leaving from Clark County REMC on Thursday to assist Cobb EMC near Marietta, Georgia.
The responding crews represent 11 of Indiana's electric cooperatives.
"Every cooperative in the Indiana electric cooperative family is an integral part of a state and national network of hundreds of fellow cooperatives," CEO for Indiana Electric Cooperatives John Cassady said. "It is incumbent upon us to work together and help one another in times of disaster, to make sure our power delivery systems are repaired as quickly, safely and cost-effectively as possible."
Cobb EMC provides electric service to nearly 200,000 residential and commercial consumers in five Georgia counties. Indiana electric cooperatives said they're happy to help in a time of crisis.
"We take care of emergency needs at home first, but our crews are eager to help those in need," vice president of safety, training and compliance Jon Elkins said. "They take a tremendous amount of pride in representing their home cooperative and the state of Indiana. They represent us well with how hard, professionally and safely they work."
The Indiana electric cooperative mutual aid program provides cooperative assistance in service restoration from storms or other events that result in significant power outages.
Line crews will leave Thursday for storm restoration efforts. The crews will meet at Clark County REMC Thursday at 1 p.m.
