"We can't say enough good things about Garkane and what they went through to get our power back on. They literally saved us." - Cedar Mountain Residents

A Storm of Historic Proportion...

It was five days before Christmas last year when the snow started to fall. By the time it was all over, as much as ten feet of wet, heavy snow had blanketed the area, leaving thousands of permanent and temporary residents stranded. With trees falling on power lines in the area, thousands of residents faced a Christmas without power. "We knew the holiday was coming and that people would be showing up on Cedar Mountain for their holiday vacation," says Garkane Energy Area Manager Rob Wolfley. "We knew we had a critical issue on our hands."

Rob and a host of other Garkane Energy employees met the challenge head on, even borrowing crews from neighboring power co-ops to work in 36-hour shifts in bitterly cold and dangerous conditions to restore power as quickly as possible. Often trouble sites were made inaccessible by the deep snow. "The damages to our system were extensive," says Carl Albrecht, CEO, Garkane Energy. "It was the worst I'd seen in my 37 years with Garkane, but we managed to get 75 percent of our customers back on by 11:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve."

 

Doing What A Co-op Does

As a power co-op, we at Garkane Energy see ourselves as a vital part of the community, so when the unexpected happens and the community is in need of help, we're here for them. When mother nature, who has blessed this area in so many ways, turns her wrath on us with massive snow, power lines are going to fall, and someone is going to have to step in and fix the problems. With the help of dozens of incredibly dedicated employees, Garkane Energy was able to overcome one of the worst storms the area has ever seen, restoring power to most within just a few days. "What Garkane did for us was phenomenal," says longtime resident Don Van Dine.

Beyond simply being a part of the community, Garkane Energy works hard, day and night, to ensure that our community is served with the most reliable power we can provide. That means that if we have to go well beyond the extra mile to ensure service, not to mention saving Christmas, Garkane Energy is proud to do so. Keeping the lights on is just part of what we're all about, 365 days a year. And that's part of why we say, Garkane Energy: Quality service, local control.