KEC News Release 12/20/07

Contact:

Shana Holsteen

Director, Communications

Phone: 785-478-4554

Cell: 785-224-7313

Several Electric Cooperatives Fully Restored, Others Tirelessly Continue Restoration Progress

As of this morning, 91% of the 58,505 outages in electric cooperative utilities state wide have been restored. Most of the remaining 5,500 outages will be restored within the next four days.

“The last of these outages are mostly in the very rural areas of the state,” said Larry Detwiler, director of loss control, safety and compliance, who coordinates mutual aid assistance for all electric cooperatives in Kansas. “The electric cooperatives serve about 80% of the state’s land mass, so they have a lot of ground to cover. They have extremely dedicated linemen, and they will continue to work until the job is done.”

Twelve of the 23 affected electric cooperatives in Kansas have completely restored the outages caused by last week’s ice storm. Of the remaining 11 cooperatives, four are expected to re-energize the last of their outages today, and the remaining seven who suffered the most damage continue to work tirelessly to restore power to their members.

The cooperatives who continue their work to restore power today include: Ark Valley, South Hutchinson; Brown-Atchison, Horton; CMS, Meade; Doniphan, Troy; DS&O, Solomon; Flint Hills, Council Grove; Leavenworth-Jefferson, McLouth; Midwest Energy, Hays; Nemaha-Marshall, Axtell; Ninnescah, Pratt; and Rolling Hills, Mankato.

Since the beginning of the storm, Kansas’ electric distribution cooperatives have lost more than 10,200 utility poles and have brought in more than 1,000 linemen from nine other states to assist with the restoration efforts.

For photos and more information about the storm restoration efforts, go to the Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (KEC) website at www.kec.org.

KEC is the statewide service organization for the rural electric cooperatives in Kansas. Formed in 1941 and headquartered in Topeka, KEC represents the interests of and provides needed services and programs to the electric co-ops that serve in Kansas. Today, KEC serves 29 distribution electric cooperatives and three generation and transmission electric cooperatives providing electricity to over 200,000 Kansas households and to approximately 80% of the land mass.

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KEC News Release 12/19/07

Electric Cooperative Line Crews Fight Muddy Conditions to Continue Restoration Progress

More than 1,000 linemen are tirelessly working around fallen trees and through muddy roads to restore power to those affected by last week’s ice storm.

“I’ve never seen any damage like what we are now seeing here,” said Rod Gerdes, general manager of Brown-Atchison Electric Cooperative, one of the hardest-hit areas. “Right now the warmer weather is more of a hindrance than a help because of the muddy conditions. We have brought in tractors and bulldozers to pull our trucks and equipment to the damaged service area.”

Gerdes continued, “We have also had wonderful help from the local farmers and other members. Some people have been out helping pull our trucks through the mud, working in the warehouse to frame cross arms, and bringing food to our line crews and office staff.”

Currently, 87% of the 58,505 outages in electric cooperatives areas state wide have been restored. For the remaining 7,613 outages among 13 of the electric cooperatives, most will be restored within the next five days.

The cooperatives who continue their work to restore power include: Ark Valley, South Hutchinson; Bluestem, Wamego; Brown-Atchison, Horton; CMS, Meade; Doniphan, Troy; DS&O, Solomon; Flint Hills, Council Grove; Leavenworth-Jefferson, McLouth; Midwest Energy, Hays; Nemaha-Marshall, Axtell; Ninnescah, Pratt; Rolling Hills, Mankato; and Western, WaKeeney.

Since the beginning of the storm, 23 of Kansas’ distribution cooperatives have lost more than 10,200 utility poles and have brought in more than 1,000 linemen from nine other states to assist with the restoration efforts.

For photos and more information about the storm restoration efforts, go to the Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (KEC) website at www.kec.org. KEC is the statewide service organization for the rural electric cooperatives in Kansas. Formed in 1941 and headquartered in Topeka, KEC represents the interests of and provides needed services and programs to the electric co-ops that serve in Kansas. Today, KEC serves 29 distribution electric cooperatives and three generation and transmission electric cooperatives providing electricity to over 200,000 Kansas households and to approximately 80% of the land mass.

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KEC News Release 12/18/07

Electric Cooperative Line Crews Continue Restoration Progress

Currently, 77% of the 50,400 outages in the electric cooperative area have been restored. For the remaining 11,600 outages among 13 cooperatives, it may take up to five or six days before all residential services have power.

“The electric cooperatives serve mostly the rural areas of Kansas, or about 80% of the state’s land mass,” said Larry Detwiler who coordinates mutual aid assistance for Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. “Because we don’t have as many people per mile of line as they do in the cities, it takes us longer to get to each person. In town, a restored mile of line can bring back power to hundreds of people. But in the rural areas, we may only have one person for every five miles of line.”

Because the rural areas were hit hard by the ice storm, Detwiler said that restoration will be tedious and time consuming.

“We have more than 10,000 downed utility poles across the state, so we have to virtually rebuild our entire electric line network in some of these areas,” Detwiler continued. “That’s just going to take some time.”

To assist them in their rebuilding efforts, the electric cooperatives have brought in more than 1,000 linemen from private contractors and electric cooperatives from nine other states to assist the Kansas electric cooperatives restore service to members.

“Our linemen working to restore power are extremely dedicated to the safety of both our members and our employees,” Detwiler explained. “We are also very sensitive to this time of year and the fact that the holidays are approaching. We are doing everything humanly possible to have everyone home by Christmas.”

Electric cooperatives from Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas have sent crews and equipment to provide aid. Since the beginning of the storm, 23 of Kansas’ distribution cooperatives have lost more than 10,000 utility poles and have had more than 50,000 outages.

The cooperatives who continue their restoration efforts include: Ark Valley, South Hutchinson; Bluestem, Wamego; Brown-Atchison, Horton; CMS, Meade; Doniphan, Troy; DS&O, Solomon; Flint Hills, Council Grove; Leavenworth-Jefferson, McLouth; Midwest Energy, Hays; Nemaha-Marshall, Axtell; Ninnescah, Pratt; Rolling Hills, Mankato; and Western, WaKeeney.

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KEC News Release 12/17/07

Electric Cooperative Line Crews Make Progress on Restoration Efforts

Linemen worked throughout the weekend to restore power to electric cooperative members at 14 cooperatives across the state. This weekend’s efforts have decreased the number of outages from more than 50,000 at the peak to around 16,000 outages this morning.

While some areas of the state have already completely restored power, other areas may take up to seven days before all services are restored.

The electric cooperatives have brought in more than 1,000 linemen from private contractors and electric cooperatives from nine other states to assist the Kansas electric cooperatives restore service to members.

Electric cooperatives from Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas have sent crews and equipment to provide aid. Since the beginning of the storm, 23 of Kansas’ distribution cooperatives have lost almost 10,000 utility poles and have had more than 50,000 outages. In addition to breaking lines and falling utility poles, line crews have also encountered theft of equipment from the line trucks.

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KEC News Release 12/14/07

Threat of More Snow May Delay Electric Cooperative Restoration Efforts

Power outage restoration efforts may be delayed as up to eight inches of snow is predicted for parts of Kansas this weekend.

Electric cooperative line crews have been working around the clock to restore service following a winter storm this week.

“Yesterday’s warmer weather caused ice to fall off power lines and trees, resulting in more line breaks which increased the number of outages. And now we’re expecting more snow this weekend. That could really slow down our crews,” said Larry Detwiler who coordinates mutual aid assistance for Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc.

Electric cooperatives from Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas have sent crews and equipment to provide aid. Since the beginning of the storm, 23 of Kansas’ distribution cooperatives have lost more than 7,000 utility poles and have had more than 50,000 outages.

“We’ve made a lot of progress so far, but there’s a chance of more outages this weekend because of the snow,” Detwiler explained. “Right now, we still have around 38,000 outages stretching across from about Dodge City all the way to the Missouri border, and from the Oklahoma to the Nebraska borders. We have a lot of ground to cover.”

The cooperatives affected by this storm include: Ark Valley, South Hutchinson; Bluestem, Wamego; Brown-Atchison, Horton; Butler, El Dorado; CMS, Meade; Doniphan, Troy; DS&O, Solomon; Flint Hills, Council Grove; Heartland, Girard; Kaw Valley, Topeka; Lane-Scott, Dighton; Leavenworth-Jefferson, McLouth; Lyon-Coffey, Burlington; Midwest Energy, Hays; Nemaha-Marshall, Axtell; Ninnescah, Pratt; Prairie Land, Norton; Rolling Hills, Mankato; Sedgwick County, Cheney; Twin Valley, Altamont; Victory, Dodge City; Western, WaKeeney; and Wheatland, Scott City.

The electric cooperatives continue to work to both identify the damage to their systems and to restore service to their members. While some areas of the state have already restored power, other areas may take up to two weeks before all services are restored.

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KEC News Release 12/13/07

More Crews Arrive to Assist Electric Cooperatives Restoration Efforts

More than 1,000 linemen from private contractors and electric cooperatives from nine other states have arrived to assist the Kansas electric cooperatives restore service to over 41,000 members across the state following this week’s ice storm.

“We are still bringing in line crews,” said Stacey Marston who coordinates mutual aid assistance for Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. “As long as our co-ops need help, we will keep bringing people in.”

Electric cooperatives from Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas have already sent crews and equipment to provide aid. At the peak of the storm, 22 of Kansas’ distribution cooperatives had lost more than 6,000 utility poles and had more than 50,000 outages.

“We’ve made a lot of progress so far, but there’s a chance of more outages today,” Marston explained. “When the melting ice falls off the power line, the line can sometimes snap up so far as to contact another line. This causes the wire to burn and break into two pieces. Without that line holding together, the ice-covered utility pole can then topple over.”

“Several of the cooperatives have already seen this happen this week,” he continued. “Bluestem electric had 36 of their utility poles in a row fall under the weight of the ice yesterday. As things begin to warm up, we’re going to see more poles go down.”

The cooperatives affected by this storm include: Ark Valley, South Hutchinson; Bluestem, Wamego; Brown-Atchison, Horton; Butler, El Dorado; CMS, Meade; Doniphan, Troy; DS&O, Solomon; Flint Hills, Council Grove; Heartland, Girard; Kaw Valley, Topeka; Leavenworth-Jefferson, McLouth; Lyon-Coffey, Burlington; Midwest Energy, Hays; Nemaha-Marshall, Axtell; Ninnescah, Pratt; Prairie Land, Norton; Rolling Hills, Mankato; Sedgwick County, Cheney; Twin Valley, Altamont; Victory, Dodge City; Western, WaKeeney; and Wheatland, Scott City.

The electric cooperatives continue to work around-the-clock to both identify the damage to their systems and to restore service to their members. While some areas of the state have already restored power, other areas may take up to two weeks before all services are restored.

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KEC News Release 12/12/07

Electric Cooperatives Continue Restoration Efforts

As ice-coated power lines and trees continue to fall, nearly 50,000 electric cooperative members are without power across the state.

Twenty-two of the state’s distribution cooperatives have lost more than 4,000 utility poles from the winter storm that blanketed the Midwest this week.

Line crews from co-ops who were less affected by the storm private contractors and electric cooperatives from Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and South Dakota have already sent more than 200 linemen, as well as equipment, to assist with restoration efforts. In addition, many electrical contractors have sent crews and equipment to provide aid.

The cooperatives affected by this storm include: Ark Valley, South Hutchinson; Bluestem, Wamego; Brown-Atchison, Horton; Butler, El Dorado; CMS, Meade; Doniphan, Troy; DS&O, Solomon; Flint Hills, Council Grove; Heartland, Girard; Kaw Valley, Topeka; Leavenworth-Jefferson, McLouth; Lyon-Coffey, Burlington; Midwest Energy, Hays; Nemaha-Marshall, Axtell; Ninnescah, Pratt; Prairie Land, Norton; Rolling Hills, Mankato; Sedgwick County, Cheney; Twin Valley, Altamont; Victory, Dodge City; Western, WaKeeney; and Wheatland, Scott City.

The electric cooperatives continue to work around-the-clock to both identify the damage to their systems and to restore service to their members

For more information about the storm restoration efforts, go to the Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (KEC) website at www.kec.org. KEC is the statewide service organization for the rural electric cooperatives in Kansas. Formed in 1941 and headquartered in Topeka, KEC represents the interests of and provides needed services and programs to the electric co-ops that serve in Kansas. Today, KEC serves 29 distribution electric cooperatives and three generation and transmission electric cooperatives providing electricity to over 200,000 Kansas households and to approximately 80% of the land mass.

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KEC News Release 12/11/07

Severe Winter Storm Causes Power Outages for Electric Cooperatives

Thousands of Kansans are without electricity after layers of ice downed power lines on Dec. 10, 2007.

A winter storm that stretched across the Midwest caused a substantial amount of damage to several Kansas electric cooperatives. 22 distribution cooperatives lost approximately 1,000 utility poles. As of December 11, 2007, there were more than 29,000 outages within the service areas of Ark Valley, Bluestem, Brown-Atchison, Butler, CMS, Doniphan, DS&O, Flint Hills, Heartland, Kaw Valley, Leavenworth-Jefferson, Lyon-Coffey, Midwest Energy, Nemaha-Marshall, Ninnescah, Prairie Land, Rolling Hills, Sedgwick County, Twin Valley, Victory, Western, and Wheatland electric cooperatives.

As much of two-inches of ice coated power lines and trees, causing power lines to snap under the weight of the ice and falling branches.

The electric cooperatives continue to work around-the-clock to both identify the damage to their systems and to restore service to their members. Line crews from co-ops who were less affected by the storm, as well as private contractors, have arrived to assist in the repair efforts.

To assist the 22 cooperatives in restoring service, electric cooperatives from across Kansas, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota have already sent more than 30 linemen and equipment to the worst-hit areas. In addition, seven electrical contractors have sent crews and equipment to provide aid.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius declared a state of disaster emergency on Dec. 10 for all 105 counties in Kansas. This declaration ensures that resources are made available to those counties severely affected by the winter storm.

“Across the state, electric cooperatives are helping each other to restore power,” said Larry Detwiler, Kansas Electric Cooperatives director of loss control, safety, and compliance. “Our linemen will keep working for as long as necessary to complete this job, because we know how much our cooperative members depend on electric power.”

Detwiler stressed the importance of using extreme caution to prevent fires or carbon monoxide poisoning if using a portable generator. He also gave a warning about the dangers of incorrectly installing a portable generator.

“If used improperly, portable generators can be fatal to you and to the linemen who are restoring power to your home,” explained Detwiler. “Connecting a portable generator to the main electrical supply for your house requires the services of a qualified, licensed electrician. Before connecting the generator to your household circuit, notify your electric cooperative.”

For more information about the storm restoration efforts, go to www.kec.org.

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