Electric Co-op Today

Two weeks after a devastating earthquake turned much of Haiti’s capital into a pile of rubble, electric co-ops throughout the United States are ready to help re-energize the nation’s power grid.

Rubble from Haiti’s Jan. 12 earthquake continues to litter the streets of Port-au-Prince even as an international recovery effort gains momentum. (Photo By: Associated Press)

“We have gotten offers from individual co-op linemen and from co-op managers who are willing to send down entire crews,” said Ingrid Hunsicker, the NRECA International Foundation’s senior program manager. “They’re just waiting for the word from us on when we’ll need them.”

Logistics in Haiti have been challenging as international teams of specialists assess damage to airports and harbors, crews move in to clear rubble, and repairs or improvements advanced to the point where the facilities can handle personnel and cargo.

“Everything has to be shipped in,’ said Hunsicker. That means before co-ops can join large-scale relief efforts, supplies, equipment and accommodations have to be delivered, assembled and secured.

The NRECA International Foundation is part of an international coalition working under the banner of the Haiti Electric Sector Relief and Recovery Effort. It includes the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Energy, the World Bank and the state-owned electric utilities of both Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

“It’s going to take a sustained effort to rebuilt Haiti’s electric grid, and NRECA International is getting a lot of support from co-ops to make that happen,” Hunsicker said.

Co-ops and their consumer-members have been making donations through the NRECA International Foundation. So far, more than $30,000 in donations and pledges have been made to the foundation’s Relief Fund for Haiti.

The board of Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation, Hillsborough, N.C. , agreed to match donations from staffers and they’ve picked up the challenge, Hunsicker said.

“We’ve seen a flurry of donations come in from individual staffers at Piedmont EMC.”

Co-ops interested in offering equipment or volunteering professional staff to assist the NRECA International Foundation with the Haiti Relief Project can e-mail Ingrid Hunsicker, NRECA International senior program manager, at Ingrid.Hunsicker@nreca.coop.

Tags: Disaster Relief, International