June storms cause major outages

Talk about getting blindsided! The severe weather that began rolling through our area on June 14 packed quite a punch. So much so that it brought down utility poles, power lines and large trees all across the CEC system causing thousands of members to lose power, many for extended time periods.

What made conditions even worse was the fact that these strong storms kept coming for three consecutive days. CEC crews, along with assisting contract crews, arduously worked exceptionally long hours during the restoration process and at times it seemed to be in vain. It actually felt more challenging than a minimal hurricane. At least in those situations, we can plan accordingly and when it leaves the area, the threat of damage dissipates.

In this case, as crews were getting everyone’s power restored another round of severe weather would move through the area causing just as much damage as the previous one. It was a very daunting experience, but we are so thankful for our hard-working employees and our members who were very patient given the circumstances. We appreciate everyone who encouraged our employees in person, and those who expressed their gratitude on our Facebook page. There, we posted regular updates including photos and one viral video of Construction Foreman Dusty Hinson using a chainsaw to remove a fallen tree and it garnered more than 1.8 million views.

In all, over the course of those three days, CEC had a total of 10,512 members impacted by more than 200 separate power outages.

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We’ve enjoyed seeing photos from our readers on their travels with Alabama Living! Please send us a photo of you with a copy of the magazine on your travels to: mytravels@alabamaliving. coop. Be sure to include your name, hometown and electric cooperative, and the location of your photo.We’ll draw a winner for the $25 prize each month. Make sure your photo is clear, in focus and not in shadow.

Two contributors to Alabama Living were recognized for their outstanding work during the Cooperative Communicators Association’s (CCA) annual awards ceremony in June.

Dennis Auth won a first place award in illustrations for his artwork, “Alabama A to Z,” for the cover of the January 2023 issue. Auth is best known to readers for his illustrations for “Hardy Jackson’s Alabama.”

Writer Emmett Burnett took two awards, a second place in technical writing for “James Webb telescope: the Alabama connection” which appeared in the April 2022 magazine; and a third place for his personality feature, “Eyes on the sky,” on weatherman James Spann in September 2022.

CCA, an organization of 300 professionals who communicate for cooperatives, is the only communications organization dedicated to serving those associated with member-owned businesses.

Learning outdoors skills – such as rock climbing, camp cooking, shooting sports (including gun safety), fishing, hunting, canoeing, archery and many more – can seem intimidating, especially for women who didn’t grow up exposed to such activities.

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, or BOW, is a three-day workshop designed to acquaint women 18 and older with the outdoors in a fun, non-threatening environment.

This year’s event will be Oct. 6-8, but registration opens on Aug. 1 for first-time participants and Aug. 7 for returning participants. Slots always fill fairly quickly.

For more information, including cost and registration, visit outdooralabama.com and click on “activities,” then scroll down to Becoming an Outdoors-Woman or call 800-245-2740.

Alabama Restaurant Week, Aug. 18-27, is a way for locals and visitors to show their appreciation for the state’s restaurants and their staffs. This culinary event unites Alabama’s diverse range of cuisine during the two-week celebration.

The week is marketed by the Alabama Tourism Department, which also produces the popular “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama” listings. The department encourages patrons to dine out and support their local restaurants and offers some other ideas to show their support: buying gift cards, purchasing merchandise, asking small, family-owned places how they can help, and leaving good reviews online and on social media.

Learn more at alabama.travel.