Laurens Electric Sunday Evening Update

As of Sunday at 8:00 p.m., 6,849 of our members (or 10%) of our members remain without power.

We are in the most difficult phase of the rebuilding and restoration process.Although crews are making steady progress and continuing to restore power to more members each day, most of the remaining outages are isolated to circuits that serve streets, and individual homes, which is the last step in restoring power.

After assessing progress made up to this point, by our best estimate, members in these areas may remain without power through October 11. This timeframe doesn’t apply to everyone – this is an outside estimate.

We’re providing this outside estimate so all members still without power are able to plan for themselves and their families.

The co-op cannot provide a more specific estimated time of restoration yet but will share that information as soon as it is available.

Our crews are working hard to repair the damage, but are still facing significant challenges, especially in the hardest hit areas. By our most recent assessment, we have 600 broken poles and counting. We’ve repaired approximately 300 so far. To add context, prior to this event, we experienced only 50 broken poles during the entirety of 2023 (corrected from 700 in earlier updates).

Replacing broken poles typically takes 2-4 hours as crews must remove the old one, set the new one, and restring lines. However, crews in the field have reported it is taking hours to cut through trees and debris to reach equipment, making the process even longer.

The co-op has 265 crews representing more than 640 line technicians and right-of-way workers operating now, including mutual aid workers from 17 states, and more are on the way.

21 right-of-way crews, 11 skid steer crews, and 2 track hoe crews are working to remove downed trees from our infrastructure.

They’re all working in rotating 16-hour shifts in all parts of our service area, cutting away trees, replacing poles, restringing distribution lines, rebuilding circuits, and making repairs in seven Upstate counties. The extensive damage to our system means there is still significant work to do before power is fully restored to every member.

As more of our system becomes energized, it is extremely important to stay away from downed power lines and anything they touch.

For the most up-to-date outage information, look for our updates on social media (Facebook, X, and Instagram).

While driving, please make way for crews working on roadsides, and don’t approach lineworkers while they’re on the job; it presents a safety hazard for them and the public and disrupts restoration work.

Members who are dependent on medical equipment at home and are without power should contact the S.C. Department of Public Health at 1-855-472-3432 to find out if they are eligible for a medical needs shelter.

We remain grateful for our members’ understanding and patience as we respond to this emergency.