Director's Corner

By Don Hawk, District 1 Director, CCD, BLC, DGC

In June, damaging storms moved through Ohio, affecting many cooperative service areas, including my residence and farm in northern Knox County. Once the storms passed, we were without power, and I knew I needed to take action to keep my family and livestock safe.

Our first concern was to get the power back on to ventilate the barn and water livestock. One step outside confirmed what I was afraid of, there was a complete mess. As far as I could see, trees and power lines were on the ground. I understood quickly that this would be impactful – not only to my farm and my family – but to many cooperative members!

We were fortunate to not have sustained any substantial damage, but I still carefully examined our property and power lines with safety as my sole focus.

Follow these safety tips when assessing the damage:

• Look up to know what is down (power lines could be on the ground covered with debris).

• Remain at least 30 feet away from downed lines.

• Consider all lines down energized.

• Call the cooperative’s outage line at 1-888-535-5732 to report an outage.

From what I could see, I knew my power wouldn’t be fully restored within a couple of hours. Thanks to two tractor powered generators, we had our power up and running within minutes. Being prepared well in advance is everything. I encourage you to think about what your family needs to live without power for multiple days and get prepared.

Consider these things when preparing for an outage:

• Compile a storm kit (non-perishable food and water, first aid kit, a charged cell phone, tablet or laptop, backup batteries, battery-operated radio, flashlights, can opener).

• Establish an evacuation plan and common meeting place

• Plan on an alternative heat source.

• Have coolers or ice chests available.

• Install backup generators.

While I am very thankful that I was prepared and able to run during an outage, the impact is significant. We were out of electricity for almost three days, resulting in one hundred gallons of diesel fuel per day used to keep the tractors running. This included trips to fill each generator that ran non-stop for 24 hours. Our home was pretty warm inside by the third day and a little uncomfortable. So, saying we smiled with relief when the power came on is an understatement. But more importantly, our family, livestock and cooperative workers were safe after fighting through every mess they faced for over a week. We are so grateful for crews and our teams at Energy Cooperative.

As a Director of the Energy Cooperative, I send a high-five out to our field workers for another job well done. The June storm brought many unique challenges, and our cooperative teams managed it with great ability. It's just one more reason I'm honored to be a Director for your cooperative.

Don Hawk with his family