On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast around 9 a.m.
The storm’s sustained winds reached 175 mph while creating a 28-foot storm surge that ripped coastal homes and businesses from their foundations.
As Katrina moved inland and the eye passed west of Laurel, massive winds spawned tornadoes that knocked down or destroyed powers lines throughout the state.
As a result, all of Mississippi’s 25 electric cooperatives experienced power outages at some point. At the time, the 25 distribution electric co-ops served more than 704,000 electric meters — about 52% of the electric meters in the state.
More than 71%, or 497,000 meters, lost power.
Miraculously, by Sept. 20 — three weeks after the storm — electricity was restored to all co-op members capable of safely receiving power.
More than 10,000 emergency line workers were involved in power restoration, including crews from 22 states.
Twenty years later, electric cooperative leaders and employees who were there looked back on the worst natural disaster to strike Mississippi and how they were able to restore power safely and quickly.
Coast Electric President and CEO Ron Barnes remembers the time as the most challenging moment most co-op employees had ever faced professionally and personally.
“What really stands out to me is the way co-ops came together to help us rebuild. I think of the stories of our own employees. One of them, Buddy Bourn, had just lost his home and rode a kid’s mini-bike from Bay St. Louis to our Kiln Operations Center because he wanted to get to work. He knew that the best way to help his community recover was to restore power,” Barnes said.
Randy Carroll, CEO of East Mississippi Electric Power Association, said he will never forget the “overwhelming rush of emotions watching the storm come on shore” on the Gulf Coast.
“As the storm approached the EMEPA service territory, we began to see every distribution circuit trip out and go dark. Never before in the history of EMEPA had we lost all power,” Carroll said.
Darrell Smith, CEO of Magnolia Electric, said his employees pulled together and made the best out of the historic catastrophe.
“Every employee stepped out of their usual job description and helped in any way needed. Many of the solutions to the obstacles we encountered were their own innovative ideas,” Smith said.
Every employee stepped out of their usual job description and helped in any way needed. Many of the solutions to the obstacles we encountered were their own innovative ideas.
Innovation was in play at Cooperative Energy, the generation and transmission cooperative that provides power to 11 distribution co-ops, including Coast Electric and Magnolia Electric.
Known in 2005 as South Mississippi Electric Power Association, quick thinking kept the G&T’s only power generation unit at the. J.T. Dudley, Sr. Generation Complex — known as Plant Moselle — operational and the only power plant running in southeast Mississippi during those early days after the storm. That unit was just one of the units at the plant.
Shane Morrow, currently an operator at Cooperative Energy’s System Operations Center, was an operator at Plant Moselle during Katrina.
Power originates at the generation plant, goes to transmission lines which then travel to substations, and then to power lines, before eventually going to homes and businesses.
Morrow said because transmission lines went down, the power loads from the plant went down to almost nothing.
“So, we kept one unit running by turning everything we could on — auxiliary motors and pumps, anything to give us more load,” Morrow said.
As a result, the power system was restored unconventionally — from the inside out — which expediated power restoration in south Mississippi.
Barnes said the key to successful restoration was taking everything one step at a time.
“One tree, one pole, one span of line at a time. We had help from thousands of crew members from other co-ops. Co-op employees are some of the hardest workers you will ever meet, and they worked tirelessly in tough, hot conditions to get the lights back on,” Barnes said.
Carroll said one of the big lessons learned from Katrina was the power of communication.
“By the fourth day of outages, the situation became tense. People were angry, and understandably so. Without power, they couldn’t cool their homes. Air conditioning and showers were gone; food supplies were low or spoiled, and cooking was done outside on grills. Gasoline was nearly impossible to find. We had to bring fuel tankers into our parking lot just to keep our operations running,” Carroll said.
But without power — no television, no radio or internet — communication went back to the basics.
“We started printing daily paper updates and mailing them to members. As power was gradually restored, we worked with local media to get the word out. It didn’t take much — just a little information gave members the reassurance they needed. They knew we were still there, and they gave us the time we needed to do the work.”
Barnes said it’s difficult to explain the immensity of the destruction the storm caused.
“Everywhere you looked, there was devastation. Our entire electrical system was destroyed. Thousands of poles were broken; thousands of miles of line were down. What had taken nearly 70 years to build was destroyed in one day. On top of that, more than half of our employees lost their homes. Most of the rest had significant damage to their homes,” Barnes said.
Barnes also said the state’s electric co-ops were all working together to get the job done under the worst of circumstances.
“When we were at our worst, we had so many lifting us up. I will never forget the love and support of the co-op family. It’s what sets our companies apart and what drives us to make our communities better for our members,” he said.
Katrina by the Numbers:
More than 71% — or 497,000 meters — lost power
All 25 distribution electric co-ops reported outages
Outside emergency assistance was needed for 19 co-op sytems
More than 10,000 emergency line workers were involved in restoration including employees of Mississippi’s 26 electric co-ops and work crews from 22 states
On Sept. 20, 2005 — three weeks after the storm — all power was restored to members capable of safely receiving power.
