Storm Center

Restoration time frames depend upon damage to Clay Electric's facilities and the numbers of members served by those facilities. There is a systematic approach to restoring power. Some members may have power restored within two or three days. Other members may take longer because of their remote locations and the amount of work required to repair the lines.

The only accounts receiving preferential treatment are those which are described as "Essential Service" accounts. They are related to community safety, health and welfare. They include hospitals, police, fire, communications and water, sanitary and transportation providers. These accounts are often referred to as priority accounts.

Clay Electric employees begin restoration work just as soon as it is safe to do so. If there are sustained winds of 35 mph or above, it's too dangerous for restoration efforts. As soon as the storm has passed and winds have died down, damage assessments will be made followed by crews working to restore power. Field workers are on the job as much as possible during the daylight hours because daylight hours are the most productive and safest for our field crews. Field workers are normally on the job 16 hours, then rest for eight hours. The bulk of our restoration workforce will work during the daylight hours to be the most productive, but there will be personnel working around the clock to restore power and respond to emergencies.

Restoring power after widespread outages is a big job that involves more than simply throwing a switch or removing a tree from a line. It involves a huge coordination effort with hundreds of linemen working in very dangerous situations. There is nothing routine when restoring power after a storm.

Although Clay Electric is committed to restoring the electric power to all co-op accounts as safely and quickly as possible, our initial goal is to safely restore power to the greatest number of members in the shortest time possible. In order to accomplish that, the process begins with a damage assessment of the co-op's lines and facilities by employees who have been specifically trained to accomplish those tasks. The assessment allows the co-op to direct its resources (both labor and materials) to the areas where they are needed the most.

Repairs are first made to the co-op's large transmission lines, which carry high-voltage electricity to our distribution system from generation stations like Seminole Electric Cooperative's coal-fired plant near Palatka. Lines such as these must be repaired first, along with any damage to transmission substations. Transmission lines serve many thousands of accounts.

Next in the process of restoration of power are the distribution substations and their respective main feeder lines. The co-op has more than 50 substations on its system, and there are about 14,000 miles of distribution lines which are routed from the substations. Main feeder lines are those you normally see alongside a highway.

The number of members served by Clay Electric's distribution substations range from a few hundred to nearly 9,000 members, so you can see the importance of getting the substations back in service. A main feeder line on Clay Electric's system serves as many as 2,300 members.

Individual tap lines are repaired next in the restoration process. Tap lines typically serve the fewest number of members.

Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. Obtain dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot full freezer for 2 days. Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be purchased. For more information, visit the USDA’s page on food safety in emergencies.

There are several reasons this might happen. A single street can be served by two different main power lines and/or substations, which explains why your neighbors may have power restored before you do. You and your neighbor might not share the same power line or circuit. The power line feeding electricity to your home may be damaged, or your individual connection might require repair. Your home also might need internal electrical repairs.