Prior to the past few years, Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative members have often been leery of weather reports that predict ice and snow for the area. While ice and snow are always a concern for the cooperative, recent storm statistics show that three of the weather events causing the worst damage to our area were from a tornado and two hurricanes.

However, nothing can measure up to the total devastation to our electrical system caused by Hurricane Helene, which brought unprecedented rain and wind to the Upstate. Almost 90% of our 73,000 members were without power after the storm passed. It took a Herculean effort to restore the majority of power to members in 12 days or less. But for the remote area of Rocky Bottom, it required 59 men working 14 days to rebuild two and a half miles of power line to turn the lights back on.

When people in Pickens County speak of Rocky Bottom, you think of a unspoiled mountainous area with beautiful views and seasonal homes. Located below Sassafras Mountain, Rocky Bottom is home to Camp McCall, Camp Hannon and Carolina Point, along with almost 200 permanent and vacation homes. It is also a thoroughfare from South Carolina to North Carolina. With 14 to 20 inches of rain reported in the area, high winds left every pole either broken or leaning, the worst damage of any area on our system.

"This was the worst damage I've seen anywhere," says Senior Vice President Mark Waters. "Every pole had to be replaces, and we even used drones to pull wire across some of the steep gorges."

Blue Ridge Electric appreciates all the crews that assisted during the reconstruction effort.