Callahan headshot
By Michael Callahan
May 2023

An EF-3 tornado struck parts of rural Mississippi March 24 causing historic damage that communities are still sorting through as of this writing.

A damaged Twin County truck with debris from the Rolling Fork tornado

The towns of Rolling Fork, Silver City, and Amory were hit hard that night. There were close to 20 lives lost, homes and businesses that were wiped out, and of course, major power outages.

Those three communities are part of the service territories of Twin County Electric and Monroe County Electric.

Once we knew bad weather was headed our way, we activated our emergency plan including rolling out our co-op mutual aid strategy.

Cooperatives around the world operate according to the same set of core principles and values, adopted by the International Co-operative Alliance. Cooperatives trace the roots of these principles to the first modern cooperative founded in Rochdale, England in 1844. These principles are a key reason that America’s electric cooperatives operate differently from other electric utilities, putting the needs of their members first.

When disaster strikes, it’s the sixth cooperative principle that becomes key to power restoration — Cooperation Among Cooperatives.

Co-ops work together to improve services, bolster local economies, and deal more effectively with social and community needs.

They also assist each other during times of crisis.

Our cover story this month is about how co-op mutual aid is our most vital tool in safe and timely power restoration in the aftermath of disaster.  

We hope you enjoy the May issue.

Category: Editorial

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