Western Cooperative General Manager Tom Ruth provided an update to the membership following last week’s severe windstorm.
On Monday, Western Co-op General Manager Tom Ruth said in a video update, “Last Wednesday, a severe storm with winds reaching 100 mph ripped through our communities, destroying houses, killing livestock and causing massive damage to our electrical power system.
After the storm moved across our service territory, more than 350 power poles were destroyed, and 8,200 were left without electricity, as well as many pieces of communications equipment. Approximately 70 percent of our electrical distribution system was left without power.
At this point, only 60 meters remain left to be restored. All residential consumers were restored by 6 p.m. Sunday evening. Although we will not be satisfied until power has been restored to all meters, and we have more work to do, it has taken a monumental effort to get to this point.
Thank you to our linemen who have gone above and beyond, working day and night to restore power to our members. Their dedication to the job has been central to our efforts and inspiring.
Under catastrophic circumstances where we sustained significant damage across 13 counties, we were fortunate to bring in additional crews through our mutual-aid program with the Kansas Electric Cooperative Association, known as KEC.
In the past, Western has sent crews to help other co-ops when possible because, as we always say, “We help when we can because you never know when we’ll be next.” And thankfully, several crews were able to assist to when we were the ones who called.
Although resources were stretched thin across the entire state due to similar damage to other systems, KEC coordinated six additional lines crews to aid and boost our restoration efforts. Thank you to CMS, Southern Pioneer, Ninnescah, Twin Valley, Prairie Land, and J&J Contractors. Without you, we would not be where we are in the restoration.
I would also like to thank all of Western’s employees. Whether coordinating crews, ordering materials, fielding member’s calls, or preparing meals for the linemen, there was never a moment of hesitation to do what was necessary. It was truly a team effort and demonstrated the character of all the employees of Western as well as the spirit of cooperation that sets cooperatives apart.
Thank you for your support for our crews under such difficult conditions. I know the recent days have been extremely challenging, but despite the devastation, you …..our members… have been patient and extremely supportive throughout our restoration efforts. Rest assured that we will continue to work with members who are facing hardships in the aftermath of the storm.
It is an honor to serve you, our members. Thank you!”
Link to video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YskpE2tPO2g
Western Cooperative Electric Association is a member-owned cooperative headquartered in WaKeeney. Established in 1945, Western now serves more than 12,000 meters and maintains over 4,000 miles of power lines across western and central Kansas. For more information about Western, visit www.westerncoop.com.