Mostly clear. Low 49F. Winds light and variable..

Mostly clear. Low 49F. Winds light and variable.

Linemen Jason Holder, Adron Presley, Tommy Ulmer, Dan Wooten, Shawn Garner, Will Pitts, Kenny Batte, Tyler Hamby, Lucas Laird, Landon Martin, Chris Prince, Le’Kilo White, Tanner Walker, Bub Robinson, Jacob Bullock, Cody Thompson, Wesley Jones and Wes McDonnieal just before leaving Dixie Electric for Florida. (Photo submitted)

Linemen Jason Holder, Adron Presley, Tommy Ulmer, Dan Wooten, Shawn Garner, Will Pitts, Kenny Batte, Tyler Hamby, Lucas Laird, Landon Martin, Chris Prince, Le’Kilo White, Tanner Walker, Bub Robinson, Jacob Bullock, Cody Thompson, Wesley Jones and Wes McDonnieal just before leaving Dixie Electric for Florida. (Photo submitted)

Trucks rolled out early Thursday morning as 18 of Dixie Electric’s line workers, led by Construction Supervisor Tommy Ulmer, headed to Peace River Electric Power to restore power after Hurricane Ian struck its service area. 

PRECO, located in Wauchula, Fla., reported more than 49,000 members without power at the height of the outages. That’s 89 percent of the meters the company serves.

PRECO requested assistance, and Dixie Electric responded by sending linemen, bucket trucks, a track machine and other support vehicles.

“Mutual aid is a very beneficial aspect of cooperatives, and we are honored to go and help restore power to those in need,” Ulmer said. “It is satisfying not just for the member having their power restored, but for us as well to be able to provide this service for them.” 

Dixie Electric Power Association serves 40,180 accounts in a seven-county area in south Mississippi, including Jones, Jasper, Wayne, Perry, Forrest, Covington and Clarke counties.

Trinity Baptist Church is having a disaster-relief drive for victims of Hurricane Ian, which struck Florida this week. 

Items that are needed include cleaning supplies, non-perishable food items and snacks, diapers and baby wipes, feminine hygiene products, paper towels, toilet paper and other hygiene products, small first-aid kits, insect repellent and bottled water. 

The supplies can be dropped off daily between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (1-5 p.m. Sunday) at Trinity Baptist Church on Trinity Road, which is off Highway 15, just north of the Laurel city limits. For those who wish to donate money, checks can be made to payable to Trinity Baptist Church.

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