A&N Electric Cooperative expects full power restoration this afternoon

A&N Electric Cooperative personnel, along with contractor and mutual assistance crews, continue working to restore power to the remaining members impacted by Winter Storm Hernando. As of 10 p.m. Tuesday, approximately 700 members remain without electric service. Since the storm began, crews have restored power to more than 18,000 members.

The cooperative anticipates that all storm-related outages will be restored by early afternoon on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

At the height of the storm, more than 19,000 A&N Electric Cooperative members were without power. The local impact reflected the storm’s widespread severity across the East Coast, where hundreds of thousands of customers from Virginia to Massachusetts experienced outages

Strong winds combined with heavy, wet snow caused extensive tree damage throughout the cooperative’s service territory. Fallen trees and large limbs brought down power lines and damaged electrical infrastructure, resulting in widespread service interruptions.

Crews began responding to outages immediately on Sunday and have worked around the clock to assess damage, make repairs, and safely restore service.

“Our crews have given everything they have to restore power to their community after such a severe storm,” said Joe Cataldo, A&N Electric Cooperative’s Senior Vice President of Operations and Construction. “We are also deeply grateful for the support from our local contractors and neighboring cooperatives. Their assistance has been invaluable.”

More than 80 personnel have been deployed in the field to support restoration efforts, including assistance from Community Electric Cooperative, Prince George Electric Cooperative, Rock Creek Line Construction, Southside Electric Cooperative, T.I.C., and Xylem Tree Experts.

The cooperative continues to receive reports of downed or low-hanging power lines. Members are urged to stay clear of any downed lines and report them immediately to A&N Electric Cooperative or call 911. All downed lines should be treated as energized and dangerous.

Motorists should never attempt to drive over fallen power lines. Instead, maintain a safe distance, report the hazard, and allow trained line personnel to safely address the situation.