In the trail of destruction left by Hurricane Helene and the recent Hurricane Milton, Ozark Border Electric Cooperative has been sending personnel to help return power to the thousands affected.
OBEC General Manager David Schremp said six individuals just returned from Valdosta, Georgia as six more headed out. The first group had been in the region since Sept. 27.
“The damage was pretty significant,” Schremp said the returning personnel have shared.
While based out of Valdosta, the group was deployed all around the southeast at the request of two different electrical cooperatives. Schremp described climatic challenges to completing the work.
“We’re looking at a pretty rough environment down there. It’s naturally pretty swampy,” he noted.
The personnel from OBEC represent a small portion of the 200-strong contingent from cooperatives all across Missouri that sent workers to aid in the recovery.
“It’s a good resource in times of disasters to know your fellow cooperatives are going to pitch in and help,” Schremp said.
He recounted how linemen and personnel were allocated to Southeast Missouri from other co-ops after the damage of the Memorial Day tornado this year. Schremp said Ozark Border operates under and benefits from the International Cooperative Alliance’s seven principles.
According to the National Rural Electrical Cooperative Association website, these principles date back to the first modern co-op in Rochdale, England in 1844. Number six on the list mandates mutual aid in times of need.
“By working together through local, national, regional, and international structures, cooperatives improve services, bolster local economies, and deal more effectively with social and community needs,” the NRECA added.
“It’s good to know if something happens, somebody’s got your back,” Schremp affirmed.