Hurricane Helene: Walton EMC restoration
Planning | Tuesday, Sept. 24
- Approx. 6 p.m. – Walton EMC Activates Storm Plan Communications: Walton EMC activates its storm plan and begins communicating about the approaching storm with employees and members.
Landfall | Thursday, Sept. 26
- 11:25 p.m. – Hurricane Helene Makes Landfall as Category 4
Outages | Friday, Sept. 27
- Approx. 6 a.m. – Hurricane-Force Winds Reach Walton EMC Territory: Hurricane Helene’s powerful winds begin to impact Walton EMC’s service area. First outages are reported and restoration efforts begin immediately.
- Approx. 8 a.m. – Peak Outages Reported: Walton EMC reports peak outages of nearly 26,300 members without power. There are 24 broken poles identified across the system.
- Approx. 3:30 p.m. – CEO Provides Restoration Update: President/CEO Ron Marshall reports 6,331 members remain without power, down from peak of nearly 26,300.
- Approx. 9:45 p.m. – Evening Restoration Progress: Over 98% of members have been restored. However, 2,364 members remain without power.
Restoration | Saturday, Sept. 28
- Approx. 9:30 a.m. – Significant Progress Made: Linemen focus on restoring service for the 313 members who remain without power.
- Approx. 6:30 p.m. – Full Power Restoration Achieved: Walton EMC announces all members’ power is restored, following a peak of 26,300 outages on Friday.
Cooperation | Sunday, Sept. 29
- 8 a.m. – Walton EMC Crews Prepare to Assist Others: With local restoration complete, Walton EMC linemen depart to help cooperatives further south.