THE GREAT FLOOD OF 2015 caused more than 8,000 members of Santee Electric Cooperative to lose power during the early October storm. We've seen storms cause more outages, but the devastation from this flood was unlike anything we've ever encountered.

Outages on SEC's system peaked Monday, Oct.5, after Mother Nature aimed a veritable firehose of heavy rain on the Palmetto State. Co-op crews worked steadily to restore electricity however, rising rivers in some areas caused individual homes to be disconnected because of flooding. We were forced to de-energize our Andrews substation Wednesday, Oct. 7 and had to reroute electricity to members near Big Dam, Piney Forrest, Powell Loop, Oak Ridge and the surrounding areas.

Service to some members' homes could not be safely restored until flood-damaged electrical equipment belonging to the consumer could be inspected and/or repaired by licensed electricians, to ensure safe operation. We understood how frustrating this was to the affected members but we must always put safety first, for the sake of the public and of our crews.
 
The co-op spirit
We heard that some local electricians donated their services to help these members. That's the cooperative spirit at its finest. We salute these electricians.

Our Operation Round Up program, as always, is available to help members. If you, or someone you know, needs assistance, stop by one of our offices for an application.

If you'd like to help neighbors in need, please sign up to contribute to Operation Round Up if you are not already doing so. The average member contributes only $6 a year by agreeing to let SEC round their bill up to the next dollar. Your tax-deductible donation will stay right here in Santee's service area.
 
Coming back stronger
The flood delivered quite a blow to parts of our area. The power of floodwaters is something, I'm sure, few of us will underestimate again. I heard grown men, people who have bravely worked in snow, ice and the treacherous conditions following tornadoes and hurricanes, say that the flood struck real fear in their hearts. But our hearts and souls - like our cooperative -- are resilient and, God willing, we'll rebound stronger than ever.

Meanwhile, let's all share what the flood showed us is our greatest gift - time and love -with our families and friends in the coming holidays. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to all SEC members.  

Robert G. Ardis III
Chief Executive Officer