Every year at this time people in south Louisiana brace themselves for another potentially destructive hurricane season. The 2007 hurricane season began on June 1 and continues through November 30. Joseph H. “Jodie” Cotten, manager of Pointe Coupee Electric Membership Corporation, said, “Since we cannot stop hurricanes the only thing we can do is work on being better prepared and know what to do in case one hits.”

During a storm, PCEMC line crews work 16 hour days to restore power to customers affected by storms. While line workers labor diligently outdoors to restore power as quickly as possible, many other employees are working indoors, answering telephones and responding to customer inquiries and concerns.

In advance, Pointe Coupee Electric thanks it members for their patience and understanding during outages and assures them that:
1. The phones at the co-op office are staffed 24 hours a day during emergencies. 2. The phones are never taken off the hook. If you are experiencing a busy signal, it is due to a high volume of calls. 3. The co-op communicates regularly with local newspapers and radio, sharing with them the location of outages and estimated times of service restoration.

“PCEMC is committed to supplying its members with dependable and safe service in all kinds of weather,” said Cotten. “A hurricane is not a pleasant experience. Yet, staying safe and calm can make it an easier one.”

Pointe Coupee Electric Membership Corporation is an electric cooperative serving areas of Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge and Iberville parishes. PCEMC currently has storm preparedness brochures, hurricane tracking charts and how to operate a portable generator guidelines available at their office at 2506 False River Drive in New Roads. Please stop by Monday-Friday between 8:00 a.m and 4:30 p.m. to pick up these helpful brochures.

Pointe Coupee Electric is more than just an electric utility company. We are Connecting People…Impacting Lives!