GIBSON ELECTRIC REPORTS 1,114 OUTAGES

Around 1,141 of Gibson Electric Membership Corporation’s 39,000 member-owners are currently without power as a result of today’s ice storm. We have 80 outage trouble spots. Most are concentrated in Gibson and Crockett counties, but we also have outages in Obion, Dyer and Madison counties. Unfortunately, Gibson EMC will not be able to restore service to everyone tonight.

Gibson EMC’s crews have been battling a constant barrage of outages since early this morning. Crews from Gibson EMC’s northern member service centers where there was less damage have been assisting crews in the southern part of the co-op’s service area. Service Electric also has been helping with service restoration today. Tomorrow morning Pickwick Electric’s crews will join in the restoration effort.

Gibson EMC President and CEO Dan Rodamaker said the crews have worked continuously, but new outages have been steadily occurring. Ice already on the trees and power lines, as well as the possibility for additional ice in the forecast could yield more outages overnight.

“We are committed to restoring everyone’s service as quickly as possible; but out of concern for our employees’ safety, we plan to call our crews in from the field tonight so they can prepare for tomorrow morning and get some much needed rest,” Rodamaker said. “They will be back out in the field at daylight tomorrow to continue restoring service.”

“It is difficult for us to stop working for any length of time when we know that our members are without power, but mental and physical fatigue make it unsafe for our employees to continue,” he said.

“Of course, we also are concerned for our members’ safety,” Rodamaker said. “If you are without power, heat your home with electricity and you do not have an alternative heating source or if you have a medical need for electricity, we encourage you to seek shelter elsewhere overnight.”

“We are grateful for the hard work and long hours our employees are putting in,” Rodamaker said, “and we sincerely appreciate our members’ patience and understanding.”

Members can report an outage by calling Gibson EMC’s Outage Hotline at 1-800-977-4076. The automated system will record your outage. Please only leave a message if you are reporting a line that is down, a pole that is broken or another safety concern. Members also can easily report an outage using the free “Gibson EMC” app.

Members can track Gibson EMC’s outages in real-time through the co-op’s website athttp://outagemap.gibsonemc.com/ or through the “Gibson EMC” app. Gibson EMC also provides outage updates through its Gibson EMC Facebook page and Twitter account.

Gibson EMC is a local, not-for-profit, member-owned and member-controlled electric cooperative serving 39,000 homes and businesses in eight west Tennessee counties (Crockett, Dyer, Gibson, Haywood, Lake, Lauderdale, Obion and Madison) and four west Kentucky counties (Carlisle, Fulton, Graves and Hickman). Gibson Connect is a wholly-owned, not-for-profit subsidiary of Gibson EMC, working to provide high-speed, fiber-based broadband service access to the cooperative’s members.