Six TCEC linemen sent to Tallahatchie Valley after Winter Storm Fern

Six linemen from TCEC were dispatched to Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association in Mississippi to provide mutual aid after Winter Storm Fern. The crew listed by TCEC and reposted by a local outlet includes Zac Atchley, Miguel Gomez, Christian Ortiz, Lakon Lynch, Allen Keene, and Juan Martinez, and the TCEC notice thanked the crew for their service.

The deployment in Texas County is part of a coordinated Oklahoma response documented by the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives. An initial OAEC news release dated January 28 said 11 Oklahoma cooperatives sent 84 linemen to assist Tallahatchie Valley. An OAEC update on January 31 reported that 12 additional lineworkers left, two more were scheduled to depart on February 2, and that Oklahoma cooperatives now have 98 lineworkers in Mississippi representing 13 co-ops. The OAEC update did not list all crew names or the participating co-ops in the excerpts provided.

Winter Storm Fern swept more than 30 states and at peak left over 1 million consumers without power. In Mississippi, roughly 160,000 electric cooperative members lost electricity as heavy ice snapped power lines and poles and toppled trees onto wires. Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power Association serves about 27,000 meters across nine rural counties in northern Mississippi, intensifying the need for outside crews to work on rural circuits that require specialized equipment and local knowledge.

The assistance reflects the mutual-aid principle that undergirds cooperative utilities. Nicki Fuller, general manager of the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, said, “Our thoughts are with our sister cooperatives in Mississippi and all states affected by this devastating storm. Cooperation among cooperatives is a guiding principle of our network, and we are honored to stand alongside our fellow co-ops in this critical effort. We commend our lineworkers for selflessly leaving their homes to support rural communities in Mississippi during this difficult time, and we wish them a safe journey and a safe restoration process.”

Local reposting also included community-minded language asking residents to hold crews in their thoughts. A separate social media post from Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative noted that it dispatched a linemen crew to assist Tallahatchie Valley as well.

Several operational details remain unreported in the materials provided: the notices do not confirm whether the six TCEC linemen are counted among the OAEC totals, nor do they give departure times, staging locations, or current restoration percentages for Tallahatchie Valley circuits. OAEC did note availability of B-roll and photos, including an image described as a row of powerlines at sunset.

For Texas County residents, the deployment underscores how rural electric cooperatives lean on statewide mutual-aid networks during large-scale storms and why local crews sometimes leave home service areas to help neighbors. Expect follow-up updates on restoration progress and official lists of reinforcements as OAEC and individual co-ops publish fuller rosters and status reports.