Restoration Nearing Completion for Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC)

By Jon Llittle, SVEC Director of Communications 

LIVE OAK, Fla., August 8, 2024 (8:00 a.m.) — Yesterday, SVEC crews and contractors achieved and surpassed the cooperative’s target of restoring power to at least 95% of its consumer-members in Hamilton and Columbia counties who could safely receive power by tonight.

The total workforce remains at 522... 

today, keeping the co-op on pace to reach that same target in Lafayette and Suwannee counties. Flooding or damage to consumer-members electrical equipment could prolong restoration for some. 

As restoration nears completion, workers are focused on small tap lines and individual services.

“The remaining repairs require the same amount of time and effort from crews, with fewer meters restored per outage, often making these final stages of the restoration process the most frustrating for those still awaiting power’” says SVEC CEO Mike McWaters. “We want to assure those people we have not forgotten them. We greatly appreciate our members’ patience, support, and understanding as we make this final push to restore power for our community.” 

Status as of 8:00 a.m.: