Currents-October 2024

Currents Suwannee Valley

DEBBY RECOVERY How SVEC restored power after heavy storm damage

OCTOBER 2024

FALL FESTIVITIES Explore a different take on the season in Naples AROUND THE COMMUNITY Touch-A-Truck is back this November

CEO’S MESSAGE Suwannee Valley

Currents

Smart Planning

October 2024

At Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, we always have a plan. It might be one for how we can invest in our electric system to keep it strong and reliable for our consumer-members well into the future. Or it could be a plan for how to serve our community in new ways, like rolling out Rapid Fiber Internet service across our system.

Suwannee Valley Currents is a monthly newsletter published by Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, © 2024. It is distributed without charge to all consumermembers of the cooperative.

SM

When it comes to hurricane season, we have an Emergency Restoration Plan that we review to make sure we’re ready to respond no matter how severe the storms that come our way. Last year, when we were hit by Hurricane Idalia, that plan was put to the test. We relied on every bit of preparation and an army of staff, contractors and crews from other electric utilities to repair more damage than we had seen in SVEC’s 87-year history.

It was a trial for all of us, but we came out on the other side Executive VP/CEO stronger and better prepared. As a result, when Hurricane MICHAEL S. MCWATERS Debby made landfall this August, followed quickly by Hurricane Helene in September, we knew we could handle anything the storms threw at us.

While Debby ultimately knocked out service to around 96% of our system, that preparation meant we were ready with more resources at our disposal than last year and more than 500 staff and contractors primed to get to work restoring power. In the end, the vast majority of consumer-members had electricity restored less than 72 hours after work began.

You can read more about that effort in this newsletter and expect a detailed breakdown of the restoration after Hurricane Helene in a future issue. I’d like to thank everyone for their hard work and our consumer-members for their patience as we made repairs. The speed with which power was restored to so many people is a testament to the smart planning and hard work of everyone at SVEC and our partners.

You’ll also see a reminder about the importance of keeping our power poles clear.

Staples and nails can pose a risk to linemen who are working on poles, so help us ensure their safety while restoring power by keeping flyers and ads off power poles.

Finally, you’ll find all the details for this year’s Touch-A-Truck event, where kids can learn all about vehicles and machinery here at the co-op and from other organizations around the community. It’s sure to be another fun-filled day out for the whole family, so I hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who helped SVEC navigate the repairs after Hurricane Debby and Hurricane Helene so that we could restore power to our consumermembers safely, quickly and efficiently. While I hope our system never again has to weather as many major storms as we’ve faced in recent months, I know the winds are likely to pick up again eventually. When that day comes, you can rest easy knowing that your cooperative has a plan. ■

2 | OCTOBER 2024

WE BELONG TO THOSE WE SERVE Business Office: 800-447-4509 11340 100th St. Live Oak, FL 32060 Lobby Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday Drive-thru Kiosk: Open 24 Hours 24/7 Power Outage Reporting: 800-752-0025

svec-coop.com facebook.com/sveccoop Instagram.com/sveccoop SVEC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

On the cover: Line crews repair lines damaged by Hurricane Debby.

Read more on Page 4.

Suwannee Valley Currents

SVEC NEWS

Don’t post signs on power poles Help keep our lineworkers safe

ADOBE STOCK PHOTO BY SUPRACHAI

We’re all inundated with ads everywhere we go, but one place we don’t need to see them is on power poles. SVEC reminds our consumer-members that attaching posters or signs of any kind to utility poles isn’t just an eyesore, it can also be a life-threatening hazard for lineworkers.

Lineworkers’ clamped safety boots can snag on staples and nails left in poles even after signs are gone. Foreign objects embedded in the pole can injure lineworkers or tear protective clothing, their first line of defense against electric shock.

Posted materials also can distract drivers and degrade the quality and stability of wooden poles.

If you see poles or guy wires have been damaged or disturbed in some way, please call an SVEC member service representative at 800-447-4509.

Pay Your Way With Getting a monthly electric bill doesn’t have to cause you stress. With the MyChoice pay-as-you-go plan, you can say goodbye to the monthly bill and pay for electricity when you use it.

Here’s how it works: Pay for the electricity you use, when you use it.

Never pay a late charge or disconnect fee.

Track your energy usage last week, last month or last year in the SmartHub app.

Save money learning about your energy habits.

Suwannee Valley Currents

When you switch to MyChoice, your existing security deposit will be put toward paying for your electricity usage.

Start saving today by visiting svecmychoice.com or calling our Member Service Department at 800-447-4509.

OCTOBER 2024 | 3

Hurricane Debby by the numbers

SUNDAY, AUG. 4

MONDAY, AUG. 5

219 Crew members from SVEC and

CATEGORY 1

contractors ready for electric restoration

177 lineworkers

Hurricane Debby’s rating when it made landfall near Steinhatchee at 7 a.m.

23 vegetation management personnel

27,714

Meters out of service by 2 p.m., approximately 96% of SVEC’s system

19 support personnel 84 Contractor crew members ready for

78 Hotel rooms reserved for soon-to-

fiber restoration

arrive non-local crews

Basecamp activated at SVEC’s Live Oak campus to: Feed 500 Sleep 300

Warehouse staff checks the inventory of an electrical device prior to landfall.

SAFETY IN THE STORM In all, SVEC and contractors worked 27,839 man-hours to restore power with:

0 fatalities 0 major injuries 0 lost-time work injuries

4 | OCTOBER 2024

81 first-aid treatments for cuts,

abrasions, bug bites, backaches and headaches

Suwannee Valley Currents

Note: This story was written before Hurricane Helene became a named storm and made landfall in Florida. The Helene restoration effort will be featured in a future issue of Currents.

By the time Hurricane Debby made landfall on Aug. 5, Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative had been hard at work for three days on a plan to rebuild its system.

Cooperative leaders activated the Emergency Restoration Plan on

Aug. 2, monitoring incoming reports from weather services, preparing employees for the upcoming work schedule and reaching out to contractors and the Florida Electric Cooperatives Association to see what additional help would be available.

“I was proud of our effort, I thought we did a good job,” SVEC CEO Mike McWaters told WCTV. “The one thing we did different for Debby, we

had more resources here quicker.”

By Aug. 3, SVEC staff met to lay out all the resources available for the restoration effort and set up daily storm calls with Seminole Electric Cooperative, the Florida Electric Cooperatives Association and Duke Energy. That planning paid dividends after the storm hit, with SVEC able to restore power to the vast majority of consumermembers in under 72 hours. ■

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 7 TUESDAY, AUG. 6 27

Feeders out of 42 (64%) restored by 5 a.m.

6,875

Consumer-members with power restored after 15 hours, about 25%

17,171

Consumer-members with power restored by 5 a.m.

(39 hours), about 62%

522

Total workforce now contributing to the restoration effort

95%

Service restored to Hamilton and Columbia counties by 6:15 p.m.

(52 hours)

THURSDAY, AUG. 8 95%

Service restored to Suwannee County by 10:30 a.m. and to Lafayette County by 2 p.m., (72 hours).

ABOVE: Two bucket truck crews repair lines on Aug. 7 with around 62% of the system restored.

RIGHT: Crews continued to work in flooded areas through Aug. 8.

Suwannee Valley Currents

ABOVE: Power restoration began at first light every day.

OCTOBER 2024 | 5

RECIPE and SAFETY

Roasted Butternut Squash and Kale Pasta INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

8 ounces thick-cut bacon, diced into ½-inch pieces 1 large butternut squash, diced into ½-inch pieces 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 bunch kale, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 pound cavatappi or pasta of choice Freshly grated Pecorino Romano Salt Pepper Red pepper flakes

Heat oven to 400 F. Toss the bacon and squash on a sheet pan.

Drizzle with olive oil, and roast for 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven. Stir in the kale. Roast for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the box’s instructions to al dente. Drain and return it to the pot. Tip the contents of the sheet pan into the pasta pot. Toss with a generous amount of Pecorino Romano. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.

Electrical Safety When Removing or Trimming Trees During storms, broken trees and branches can easily pull power lines down or low to the ground.

Never try to remove or trim a tree that is in contact with a power line. Treat any power line as though it is energized and call the power company immediately.

In fact, any type of tree work within 10 feet of a power line can be fatal – it doesn’t have to be in direct contact with the line. In some cases, even working as far away as 15 feet can be dangerous. A line on or low to the ground can cause metal fences, other trees, play structures, vehicles, or even the ground, to become energized.

Seriously consider hiring a professional tree service company that is knowledgeable about working near

6 | OCTOBER 2024

power lines. They can assess the situation and determine the best course of action.

To learn more about building safe electric habits, click the Outages & Safety tab on the SVEC website, svec-coop.com, and follow us on social media.

/sveccoop @sveccoop @svec_coop_fl

Suwannee Valley Currents

Fall for Naples

Festivals, film and fine Florida beaches

BY VISIT FLORIDA STAFF Fall in Naples is just as colorsplashed as it is up North. But instead of the yellows and reds of fall leaves, autumn along the Paradise Coast is painted in blue, green and white –– as in sky, surf, sand and palm trees.

Autumn weather also means blissful 70- and 80-degree temperatures ideal for fall festivals — think arts, culture and a little history — alfresco holiday shopping or a day at world-famous beaches. Plus, paradise is priced perfectly this time of year, with hotel and restaurant discounts and savings galore at area attractions.

Old Florida, new flicks

November in Naples is devoted to the arts. Check out the Naples International Film Festival, which kicks off the United Arts Council of Collier County’s Celebrate the Arts Month with a gala and screenings of indie movies and documentaries. All of Collier County’s arts and cultural venues — from Marco Island to the historic Palm Cottage in Old Naples — will open their doors, offering more than 125 events ranging from homespun community theater, Broadway performances at the Philharmonic Center, opera, art galleries and even an alfresco movie in the park.

The Naples Botanical Garden promises to outcolor even those fall leaves, while the Old Florida Festival, with its cracker cowboys, Calusa and Seminole Suwannee Valley Currents

Indians, folk music, Civil War encampment and British Red Coats, relives 10,000 years of history.

Savor the season, shopping and savings

Naples’ Third Street South shopping district, known for its art galleries, trendy boutiques and gourmet restaurants, sets the stage for holiday gift-buying with its annual Christmas on Third festival. The season-welcoming event in late November includes a treelighting ceremony, street entertainers, musical performers and promises of snow showers.

In Naples, there’s no need to dig out the car or trudge through the slush in search of that perfect present. Locally owned shops along Fifth Avenue South, plus gift stores in nature centers, museums and hotels, offer unique gift ideas and

ABOVE: The Christmas on Third festival kicks off the season in late November.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THIRD STREET SOUTH

TOP: The Kapnick Brazilian Garden is a highlight of the Naples Botanical Garden.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NAPLES BOTANICAL GARDEN

a welcome diversion from crowded department stores.

Of course, the soft-as-silk beaches and aquamarine Gulf waters are always close by, providing a worthy excuse to delay that shopping another day — or motivation to get finished faster. ■

LEFT: Artis-Naples is home to the Naples International Film Festival each fall.

BELOW: Take in Southwest Florida’s foremost collection of modern and contemporary art at The Baker Museum.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARTIS-NAPLES

OCTOBER 2024 | 7

SVEC IN THE COMMUNITY

Don’t miss Touch-A-Truck Don’t miss the FREE Touch-A-Truck family event hosted

by Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative.

Children and adults of all ages are invited to touch and explore various trucks, emergency vehicles and heavy machinery at SVEC’s office, 11340 100th St. in Live Oak, on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Vehicle drivers and operators will be there to show off their vehicles and answer any questions.

• Free admission • Bounce houses and other activities for kids • Food trucks with food and drinks available for purchase

SVEC thinks pink for breast cancer awareness

8 | OCTOBER 2024

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and SVEC is proud to join organizations across the country in raising awareness of the disease and the importance of early detection. This month our linemen are wearing pink hard hats to show their support for those in our cooperative family and throughout the community who are fighting breast cancer.

Suwannee Valley Currents