Crews working across our service territory have digger trucks, bucket trucks and bulldozers stuck in the mud. This is slowing down the restoration process. With the muddy conditions, it is taking our crews two to three times longer to maintain and restore power. As we transition to the afternoon we are finding more and more downed poles in our system; we are now estimating that we have approximately 2,000 downed poles.

As our crews dig deeper into areas affected by outages, we are beginning to learn more about the devastation caused by this weekend’s storm. We’ve learned that southwest Kearny and southeast Hamilton counties were completely crippled by this weekend’s storm. We will not be able to address the needs of this area until the arrival of additional line crews and materials. Unfortunately, restoration in this area may take up to 10 days.

We encourage our members to please be safe and continue to report any downed poles and outages to 888-551-4140 or 620-424-4612

Ulysses, KS – May 3, 2017 – Additional crews from neighboring cooperatives and area contractors were brought to help with the restoration of downed poles. With their support, the number of downed meters was reduced to 3,000. We estimate that there are still over 1,000 poles down at this time. Please note, that it may be a week before remote meters are restored.  If your power has been restored, please remain vigilant! If you lose electrical service, you will need to call either 888-551-4140 or 620-424-4612 and report the outage.

“Progress is moving along and we are thankful for the support from our neighboring cooperatives,” said Pioneer Electric CEO, Steve Epperson. “It is a testament to the bond shared between cooperatives and lineman. Words cannot express how thankful we are for their assistance in our restoration process!”

Pioneer Electric received many inquiries regarding the use of generators and encouraged members to be extra cautious while using them.

“Please be cautions when using a generator,” said Epperson. “It is imperative that members have generators correctly installed. Improper use of a generator may cause back feeding and electrocute lineman working on the line. Never hook a generator directly into your home’s electrical system and be sure to consult a certified electrician to properly install your generator for use.”

Crews and employees were humbled by the generosity of our local communities. Snacks, drinks and meals quickly filled the basement of Pioneer Electric, bringing smiles to tired faces. A cooperative is shaped by the members and communities it serves and we are honored to be able to serve southwest Kansas. We are humbled by the support received throughout the restoration process. Every act of kindness, prayer and “thank you” inspires us to push forward.

For updates regarding the restoration process, members can follow Pioneer Electric on Facebook.

Ulysses, KS – May 2, 2017 – With the advances crews are making in the Pioneer Electric service territory, the number of meters without power has reduced to 4,200 meters. Unfortunately, we’ve had to increase our approximation of downed poles to 1,000. Linemen and Additional crews have been assisting with restoration and as a result power is being restored at a steady pace.

“We are very happy with progress made in our restoration efforts,” said Energy Services Supervisor, Rae Gorman. “It is our goal to address these outages as quickly and safely as possible. We want to ensure the safety of our members so we ask that they please avoid downed lines. For safety reasons, it is imperative that poles and lines lying on the ground be left alone. Never assume a line is not energized.”

As crews continue to address outages, the Cooperative is doing all in its power to ensure their safety. However, members of Pioneer Electric can also help in keeping the line safe for restoration crews.

“An ongoing concern for the line workers right now is improperly connected generators,” said Gorman. “A generator that is not installed correctly could electrocute our linemen; it is paramount for anybody operating a generator to have the connections checked by a qualified electrician and follow the owner’s manual for guidelines and operating instructions.”

Pioneer Electric Cooperative focuses on restoration efforts in the following sequence, many of which occur simultaneously. This sequence enables power restoration to public health and safety facilities and to the greatest number of locations in the shortest length of time:

• Public safety-related situations (such as de-energizing live lines);
• Emergency service facilities (hospitals, law enforcement, fire departments);
• Critical infrastructure (water and sewer facilities);
• Distribution feeders and subfeeders, the “backbone” of the power delivery  system;
• Distribution tap lines, which connect the backbone to individual locations (neighborhood lines); and
• Distribution transformers and individual service lines.