Photo courtesy of Izard County Office of Emergency Management
Power has been restored to a percentage of members of the North Arkansas Electric Cooperative, but several still remain without power. It may be up to a week before power is fully restored to the cooperative’s membership as it is estimated over 100 of its power poles are down.
As of 11:30, NAEC still had nearly 4,500 members without power. Chief Executive Officer Mel Coleman says the storms proved to be worse than anticipated.
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All of the cooperative’s crews have been working since the storms hit the area, but Coleman says he’s on the lookout for more assistance from other energy providers.
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Coleman says he was keeping up with the storm activity as it was occurring Friday night. The cooperative CEO says the further east the storms traveled, the stronger they became.
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Photo of Cave City courtesy of Renee Clay-Circle via Meteorologist Christopher Pipkin
As crew members are working to restore power and area residents are assessing damage, Coleman says he can’t stress the importance of safety enough.
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The cooperative announced Saturday morning 10 crews from Arkansas Electric Cooperative, Inc., will assist with repairing damage in Izard and Sharp counties. NAEC also will have support from right-of-way contractor Riggs and local dozer/track hoe operators to help clear debris.
Photo courtesy of Hannah Elizabeth Johnson via Meteorologist Christopher Pipkin
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