When disaster strikes, electric cooperatives don’t hesitate to answer the call.
On Saturday, five employees from Alfalfa Electric Cooperative traveled 626 miles to Batesville, Mississippi, to provide mutual aid to Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association following the devastating impacts of Winter Storm Fern. The storm caused widespread damage across Tallahatchie’s system, affecting nearly 90% of their service territory. Of the 28,655 meters Tallahatchie serves, approximately 26,000 were impacted by the storm.
The linemen serving from Alfalfa include Crew Foreman Matt Gibson, along with Bryan Kimminau, Ruston James, Stephen Cockrum, and Sylus Graves. After a long day on the road, the crew arrived late Saturday evening and was boots on the ground by Sunday morning, working alongside Tallahatchie employees and crews from cooperatives across the region.
According to Gibson, progress is being made. “It’s slow going,” he said, “but it is going.” In situations like this, restoration requires patience, teamwork, and perseverance — qualities our linemen bring with them wherever they serve.
This mutual aid effort is a powerful example of the cooperative principle Cooperation Among Cooperatives in action. When one co-op is facing hardship, others step in to help restore power, hope, and a sense of normalcy for the communities they serve.
As restoration continues, we ask you to please keep our linemen in your prayers, along with the employees of Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association, all crews providing mutual aid, and the members of Tallahatchie who are waiting for their lights to come back on. We also ask that you remember the families back home — the wives, children, parents, and loved ones — while their husbands, dads, and sons are away answering the call to serve.
In times of crisis, connection truly restores — and we are proud of our Alfalfa linemen and honored to stand alongside our cooperative family in Mississippi.