Southern Pine Electric Cooperative is prepared to handle emergencies and natural disasters, including severe thunderstorms, tropical storms, hurricanes and/or tornadoes. The Co-op has an extensive disaster plan in effect to handle these and other disasters, and regularly reviews and updates this plan with its emergency operation center team
   We have employees prepared to man our headquarters in Brewton and our district offices in Atmore, Evergreen and Frisco City. Agreements are currently in place with local restaurants, hotels, motels and schools to allow us to shelter and feed crews that might be brought in to assist Southern Pine in the aftermath of a storm. Additional supplies and equipment have been purchased and are currently on hand in our warehouses should the need to use them arise.
   All of our offices are now equipped with backup generators that will allow us to operate our facilities, telephone networks, computers, etc., even if substations and electric lines have been damaged.
The co-op has a network of disaster personnel that it may contact for assistance with cots, water, ice, food, linens, fuel, etc. We also keep a limited store of such disaster supplies packed and available in our local offices to help us begin a restoration effort.
   We work closely with city, county and state disaster personnel, attending city- and county-wide disaster meetings and staying current on the latest news and anticipated weather. Our statewide organization is prepared to assist us in recruiting contract crews and other cooperatives’ crews to help us restore power as quickly and as efficiently as possible. We also have a statewide representative that is stationed in the state emergency headquarters to help apprise us of the current situation in our state and local counties.
   Our 24-hour toll-free outage reporting number is available at all times for members to contact and report outages. That number is 1(866) 867-5415.
   We have a nation-wide network of sister cooperatives that can come to our assistance in a very short period of time should such a need arise. We are also prepared to assist our sister cooperatives in their times of need, and have done so many times, most recently in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. For many weeks Southern Pine sent crews of linemen, servicemen, warehousemen and a safety coordinator to Louisiana to assist cooperatives in the restoration effort after that devastating storm. Southern Pine also sent its communicator to assist Singing River Electric Cooperative in Mississippi after that co-op was nearly destroyed by Katrina.
   Southern Pine Electric Cooperative strives to be prepared for any and all situations that might arise. The co-op hopes that there will be no need for these preparations and plans this hurricane season, but living in south Alabama means it is always necessary to look ahead, plan and prepare for the worst, while hoping for the best.
   Southern Pine Electric Cooperative, a Touchstone Energy® Cooperative, serves over 20,000 accounts in portions of Baldwin, Conecuh, Covington, Escambia and Monroe Counties. The co-op is headquartered in Brewton, Ala., with district offices in Atmore, Evergreen and Frisco City.