Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative employees work to restore power following Hurricane Irma. Source: NRECA
Electric cooperatives and their employees in North Carolina are making a difference for co-op employees and communities facing the difficult task of rebuilding after hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Through the Human Connections Fund, North Carolina is sending about $9,900 to impacted areas of Texas and Florida.
The storms brought historic damage that required a historic response. In some cases, cooperative employees worked to restore power despite facing catastrophes at their own homes and property.
Human Connections Fund contributions will be distributed through statewide foundations in impacted areas to benefit co-op employees and communities as they begin the long journey of rebuilding. Texas received a contribution of $4,050 for Hurricane Harvey recovery, and a donation of $5,840 is going to Florida in the wake of Irma.
The Human Connections Fund allows employees of North Carolina’s electric cooperatives to join together to help sister cooperatives and their employees when disaster strikes.
“In North Carolina, we are all too familiar with the devastation and destruction that major storms can bring,” said Nelle Hotchkiss, senior vice president for corporate relations for North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives. “We believe in the cooperative difference and the power of human connections. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to the greater cooperative community.”