April 18 is National Lineman Appreciation Day, one month after National Utilities Workers’ Day.

As a result of Hurricane Michael which made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on October 10, all of our 13,000 electric customers were without power and significant portions of our electric system were heavily damaged. The damage from Hurricane Michael’s unprecedented force was unlike anything any of our crews had experienced. Once it was safe to do so, our highly trained employees assessed the damage and quickly began the process of service restoration. In less than a month, all customers who could receive service were restored due to our employees’ perseverance and significant experience with storm restoration.

“In Marianna, Florida after Hurricane Michael, I experienced firsthand the Company’s culture of caring for our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. The first response that was heard from every employee was concern for the welfare of those affected by the storm and what they could do. I had employees who worked several hours clearing trees and streets just so they could get to work. Each and every employee who assisted during our electric service restoration effort worked extremely long hours for severals weeks to bring hope and a sense of normalcy back to the devastated communities.”

Buddy Shelley, Assistant Vice President of Electric Operations