NRECA electric cooperatives prepare for hurricane season

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) announced on Wednesday that its electric cooperatives are preparing for the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season, which will run through November 30 and could include 10 to 16 named tropical storms.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently predicted a near-normal hurricane season this year. The last few years have been below normal hurricane activity, and this year experts predict a 70 percent likelihood of as many as 16 named storms, including up to eight hurricanes and up to four major hurricanes.

“Keeping members safe during storms is the highest priority during an imminent threat for the nation’s more than 900 not-for-profit electric cooperatives,” NRECA Interim CEO Jeffrey Connor said. “Electric co-ops in coastal states from Texas to Maine routinely update their emergency plans and hold staff briefings on hurricane preparedness before each hurricane season.”

Electric co-ops own and operate approximately 40 percent of the nation’s electric distribution infrastructure. This infrastructure spans approximately 75 percent of the United States landmass, and is concentrated on the eastern and southeastern coast, which is frequently impacted by tropical storms and hurricanes.

NRECA is represented on the Electric Subsector Coordinating Council, which helps with emergency response planning and communications related to national disasters. NRECA also works with federal institutions, including the Department of Energy, to ensure public safety and preparedness during hurricane season.