Cooperation Among Cooperatives: LREC Sends Crews in Advance of VA Ice Storm

Three 2-man crews consisting of LREC linemen from both Pelican Rapids and Ottertail offices will be leaving MN and traveling to Virginia (VA) in advance of severe weather expected in that region.

Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA) Director of Safety Services Anthony Lenz received VA-based Rappahannock Electric Cooperative’s call for mutual aid Thursday morning, Jan. 22, requesting 30 2-man crews from co-ops across Minnesota. Crews were asked to arrive no later than Saturday in preparation for — and to potentially assist in outage restoration efforts following — an ice storm local weather outlets anticipate will hit sometime this coming weekend.

LREC Operations Manager Paul Bergren was notified shortly after and began assembling the crews. Departure time is set for early afternoon; return back to MN is dependent on how much assistance is needed and is yet to be determined.

Though temps are set to plummet in our area over the next week, Bergren said “No storms are expected and the reduced number of linemen will not impact our ability to maintain reliable service or respond to outages while these crews are away.”

Responding to fellow co-ops in times of need demonstrates a commitment to our operating principles and is a powerful example of the cooperative difference.  Our thanks to the linemen and Operations staff who made this support possible and for representing LREC in such a positive way.