MCLEOD CO-OP AIDS IN HURRICANE HELENE RECOVERY
When Hurricane Helene hit the Southeast, the damage was devastating, leaving millions of people without power. McLeod Co-op Power stepped in to help, joining 17 other Minnesota cooperatives to send a total of 80 line workers to restore electricity to the hardest-hit areas.
McLeod Co-op’s team was assigned to work with Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative in South Carolina, a region known for its rugged, mountainous terrain. The landscape, covered in steep slopes and dense forests, reminded the linemen of northern Minnesota. But the destruction was something they had never seen before—over 800 broken poles and miles of power lines down. More than 50,000 homes and businesses were without power.
Travel to the region was a challenge in itself. It took our team 31 hours to drive to South Carolina, navigating road closures, washed-out bridges, and missing sections of interstate. Once they arrived, they were ready to jump into action. They were part of a massive effort with over 700 linemen from across the country, split between two outposts. McLeod Coop’s crew worked alongside Wright-Hennepin Cooperative, directed by a local Blue Ridge employee known as a “birddog” to ensure the most urgent repairs were addressed.
The conditions were tough—16-hour days of hard labor in hot, humid weather with temperatures in the 80s—but the camaraderie among the linemen and the gratitude of local residents kept spirits high. Although the crews slept in tents or retrofitted bunk trailers, they were well taken care of with bagged lunches during the day and hearty dinners waiting for them each evening, along with access to mobile shower and laundry facilities.
Most of the McLeod Co-op crew’s time was spent stringing wire back up onto poles within right-of-ways that had already been cleared of fallen trees. Thanks to the work of other crews, the lines were accessible, allowing our team to work efficiently and help restore power faster.
“We prioritize helping others for the day will come when we need help outside of our capacity. It also gives our line crews an opportunity to meet other line personnel while working on other systems, which provides some great on-the-job training. Although the hours are long and the work can be difficult, it allows us to reflect and be thankful as well,” shared McLeod Co-op’s Operations Manager Emerson Brady.
After five days of hands-on work and four days of travel, our McLeod Co-op crew returned home with a deep sense of pride and accomplishment. Their efforts embodied the true spirit of cooperation, proving that when disaster strikes, we’re always ready to step up and lend a hand wherever it’s needed.