Rural Missouri has been hammered this year with tornadoes, flash flooding, hail and other severe weather.
Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives chief executive officer Caleb Jones represents Missouri’s 47 electric co-ops. He tells 939 the Eagle that they prepare for severe weather:
“The electric coops across the state of Missouri have a great disaster program where we actually will deploy linemen from other coops that haven’t been dealt with, terrible weather, and send them down to neighboring coops to help each other to make sure we get the lights on as quickly as possible,” Mr. Jones says.
He compares it to mutual aid, where co-ops assist other co-ops and neighbors help their neighbors.
Utility linemen and women employed by mid-Missouri’s Boone, Callaway, Co-Mo and Howard Electric Cooperatives have worked around the clock during several recent storms. They’ve responded after tornadoes, straight-line winds, hail and flash flooding. Mr. Jones, a former state representative, appreciates their dedication and work ethic:
“Our electric lineman, really our first responders, they go out in harm’s way. We understand and know that having reliable electricity is something that people rely on not just for comfort but also their livelihood,” Jones says.
The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives was founded in 1937. Its mission is to provide a means for electric cooperatives to work together to accomplish things that they could not do as efficiently on their own.
