UPDATE SOUTHERN RIVERS ENERGY

Crews have restored power for an additional 2385 members since 10 a.m. leaving a total of 10,165 still without power. They are working non-stop and will continue until everyone has been restored. With the help of additional crews coming to assist today and tomorrow, we hope to have the majority of our members restored by Thursday, provided there is no damage to the service entry on the house. If the service panel has been torn away from the side of the house or is damaged in any way, the homeowner will have to make the necessary repairs before SRE can reconnect the service.

Unfortunately, we cannot predict when any particular street or neighborhood will be restored. The crews are working from the substation all the way out to individual homes. Rural systems such as ours have miles of distribution lines that run through heavily wooded areas to get to some homes. So fallen trees coupled with saturated ground can make it challenging to get heavy trucks into the affected areas.

Rest assured, crews are working as quickly as possible but there are many obstacles that can delay progress. We also urge everyone to remember the "Move Over for Linemen" law went into effect on July 1, 2016 requiring any motorist approaching utility linemen at an active work site, as indicated by traffic cones or flashing beacons, to change lanes or reduce their speed to a “reasonable and proper speed” below the posted speed limit. Violators face a $250 fine.