Before a storm ever hits, Laurens Electric Cooperative is planning how to prevent and correct resulting outages. Our members can rest assured, knowing that our employees are doing all they can to keep the lights on.

Part of Laurens Electric’s mission is to be proactive in business. We’ve incorporated that proactive attitude in our storm preparation through the year-round process of maintaining our rights-of-way. What this means is that we are constantly cleaning, clearing, and trimming brush and debris away from our power lines, creating what’s called a right-of-way. When ice and snow weigh down tree limbs, those limbs—and sometimes the entire tree—can fall onto power lines, causing outages.

Co-op personnel constantly inspects the substations and thousands of miles of lines that serve our customers. When an employee spots an area that needs maintenance, he first informs the customers in that area of the need for upkeep, letting them know how long maintenance crews will be in the area, and telling them what to expect. Laurens Electric’s constant right-of-way maintenance plays a major role in the overall storm preparation plan.

When it is known that a potentially dangerous storm system is headed toward Laurens Electric’s service area, full advantage is taken of an early warning. The Statewide cooperative organization is notified, ensuring that all South Carolina cooperatives are prepared to lend a hand, if necessary. Laurens Electric crews are put on standby status and immediately set out making sure that the fleet of trucks and the needed equipment are ready to go at a moment’s notice. Customer service representatives are also on call to help talk to and reassure affected members. Once the storm hits, a storm center is organized to take outage reports, track problems, and keep communications running smoothly for the crews out working in the often dangerous and difficult circumstances.

Laurens Electric Cooperative constantly applies new technology to better manage outages and restoration. One way Laurens Electric members can help the most when it comes to improving communications is to make sure their phone numbers are correct within the co-op’s records. The telephone plays an important role in restoring power, and if a member’s phone number is incorrect, problems can arise. Check your electricity bill to see if the correct phone number is displayed. If not, members are asked to update their account information. Call 1-800-942-3141 to speak with a customer service representative, or submit an account update online.