Hurricane Ida left a trail of damage and destruction along the Gulf Coast following its landfall on Sunday. In response, Missouri’s electric cooperatives have mobilized to answer a call for help.
At the request of DEMCO Electric Cooperative in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, more than 150 Missouri lineworkers from 30 of the state’s electric cooperatives are traveling to Louisiana to assist in the cleanup. Missouri is sending both construction and service crews to help with the power restoration efforts at the co-op just east of Baton Rouge. Most of Missouri’s crews left early Tuesday morning.
DEMCO is the largest electric cooperative in Louisiana, serving more than 112,000 members. As of Monday morning, more than 77,000 DEMCO members- 68 percent- were without electricity.
Missouri’s electric cooperatives have a long history of lending a helping hand to its cooperative peers in trying times. Missouri crews first helped with hurricane relief efforts in 2004 when the Gulf Coast was hit by Hurricane Ivan and have been doing so since. The most-recent deployments were in 2020 when crews traveled to Louisiana twice for hurricanes Delta and Zeta.
The favor has been returned, as Missouri co-ops received assistance restoring power following devastating ice storms in 2007 and 2009.
Missouri’s restoration efforts are being spearheaded by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. The Jefferson City-based association represents all 47 of Missouri’s electric cooperatives.
Missouri electric cooperatives sending help:
Barry Electric Cooperative, Cassville;
Barton Electric Cooperative, Lamar;
Black River Electric Cooperative, Fredericktown;
Boone Electric Cooperative, Columbia;
Callaway Electric Cooperative, Fulton;
Central Missouri Electric Cooperative, Sedalia;
Co-Mo Electric Cooperative, Tipton;
Consolidated Electric Cooperative, Mexico;
Crawford Electric Cooperative, Bourbon;
Cuivre River Electric Cooperative, Troy;
Farmers’ Electric Cooperative, Chillicothe;
Gascosage Electric Cooperative, Dixon;
Grundy Electric Cooperative, Trenton;
Laclede Electric Cooperative, Lebanon;
Lewis County Rural Electric Cooperative, Lewistown;
Macon Electric Cooperative, Macon;
Osage Valley Electric Cooperative, Butler;
Ozark Electric Cooperative, Mt. Vernon;
Ozark Border Electric Cooperative, Poplar Bluff;
Pemiscot-Dunklin Electric Cooperative, Hayti;
Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, Kearney;
Ralls County Electric Cooperative, New London;
Sac Osage Electric Cooperative, El Dorado Springs;
SEMO Electric Cooperative, Sikeston;
Southwest Electric Cooperative, Bolivar;
Three Rivers Electric Cooperative, Linn;
Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Lancaster;
United Electric Cooperative, Maryville;
Webster Electric Cooperative, Marshfield;
West Central Electric Cooperative, Higginsville; and
White River Valley Electric Cooperative, Branson.