Laurens Electric – Tuesday Night Update

As of Tuesday at 8 p.m., power has been restored to 35,743 members, representing 56% of our member-base.

22 of 32 substations are back online.

The number of broken power poles has now been assessed at over 300. It takes a crew 2-4 hours to remove and reset a new pole.

As we’ve previously reported, transmission lines to some parts of Abbeville, Anderson, Laurens, Newberry, Union, and Spartanburg Counties may not come online until Oct 7. Different transmission lines serve these areas, and those lines will be brought back up at different times – some sooner than that date. Oct. 7 is the outside estimate.

After transmission is restored, crews will have to operate outward from substations, replacing broken power poles, restringing our distribution lines, rebuilding circuits, and making repairs. This work has been ongoing since the storm hit, but so much infrastructure was damaged that there will still be work to do before power is restored.

At this point in the recovery and rebuilding process, we are still unable to provide more specific estimates as to when crews will be in certain areas removing downed lines and making repairs.

As more progress is made, more specific information will be provided.

The co-op has 200 crews representing more than 400 line technicians and right-of-way personnel working in rotating shifts 24 hours a day in all parts of our service area. More crews are coming from others states.

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 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.