Power Restored After Strong Storms Leave Nearly 20,000 without Electricity
Wednesday | May 5, 2021

After storms barreled through REC's service territory, crews worked through the night to restore service to nearly 20,000 member-owners who lost power.

As of 9 a.m., power has been restored to all members with the exception of just over 500 members who are still without electricity.

The fast-moving storms packed a powerful punch, bringing torrential downpours, lightning and strong, damaging winds. They toppled numerous trees, many of which fell onto power lines and damaged equipment. 

Twelve line workers from Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative arrived this morning to assist with restoration.

“REC’s line crews and contractors are always prepared to respond to outages caused by storms, and we are fortunate to be part of the co-op network where support from our neighboring co-ops comes in to help,” said Casey Hollins, Managing Director - Communications and Public Relations. “Damage in some areas was extensive as the strong winds uprooted large trees leaving a significant amount of work to be done. Crews continue to work in those areas today and expect power to be restored by this afternoon.”

REC STORIES

Following a severe thunderstorm on Tuesday, May 4th, power has been restored to all except just over 500 as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 5th.
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Trees are the top cause of power outages, and REC robust vegetation management team works to keep that number as low as possible.