October 2011 - Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative

Thank You for Your Patience 

Tornadoes, an Earthquake, and a Hurricane ... What’s Next? 

Mother Nature has made it an 

eventful year thus far for 

many of you and your 

cooperative. In her latest wrath, 

Hurricane Irene irately roared up from 

the Caribbean in August, pounded the 

East Coast, and caused flood and wind 

damage, severe inconvenience for 

thousands upon thousands, and the 

deaths of at least 55 people. The 

destruction was extensive, and early 

estimates of damage in our nation are 

about $10 to $15 billion. According to 

The Economic Times, analysts at Morgan 

Stanley, a Wall Street investment bank, 

rated Irene among the most destructive 

storms ever and likely to rank among 

the top 10 costliest U.S. hurricanes. 

The lights went out in more than 

7 million homes and businesses from 

Folly Beach, S.C., to Portland, Maine. 

Rated a Category 1 hurricane when it 

made landfall, Irene had sustained winds 

that reached speeds of 40 to 50 miles per 

hour (mph) in our service territory with 

gusts as high as 70 mph. The storm blew 

down trees and limbs that severed power 

lines, snapped power poles, and caused 

major outages, especially in the eastern 

portion of our system. At the peak of the 

storm, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative 

(MEC) had nearly 11,000 services 

President and CEO John Lee stresses safety as he addresses Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative 

employees and additional line crews from Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia 

at 5:15 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28, as this shift prepares to depart the Emporia office and 

resume restoration efforts. Work continued around the clock until all members were 

restored at 6:47 p.m. the following Thursday. 

John C. Lee, Jr. 

President & CEO 

without power, representing over onethird 

of our entire membership with the 

counties of Brunswick, Greensville, 

Southampton and Sussex suffering the 

most severe damage. 

However, your cooperative was 

prepared. Throughout the previous week 

we tracked the approaching storm on a 

daily basis and made advance 

preparations to address any system 

damage that could occur. When the 

storm began Saturday and we started 

receiving outage calls, we were ready to 

roll; and your cooperative employees 

responded immediately. We continued 

restoration efforts until the winds 

became so severe we were unable to 

work safely in the field. Finally, at 5 a.m. 

Sunday morning, the wind subsided 

enough to allow us to resume work. An 

army of utility trucks and line crews 

consisting of over 100 men, including 

MEC employees and others from 

Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina and 

Ohio, then set out to rebuild parts of a 

distribution system that has taken us 

over 70 years to construct, and to do so 

as fast as humanly possible while 

working safely. 

18 Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative

Winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour 

caused an estimated $1 million in damage 

to MEC’s distribution system. The pole 

shown here was broken into three pieces 

and represents the kind of damage that 

Hurricane Irene left in her path. In all, 52 

poles were broken and miles of line lay on 

the ground when she finally moved on in 

the early hours of Sunday morning. 

In major outages, we begin by 

restoring our main lines; and ultimately 

when they are rebuilt, we generally get 

the lights back on for large numbers of 

our members. Without those main lines 

intact, no one can receive power; so 

those lines are always our first priority. 

While patrolling and repairing the main 

lines, we identify and track individual 

accounts that will require substantial 

work before power can be restored there. 

Consequently, those who are on the 

main lines and whose individual lines 

suffered little or no damage are restored 

faster than those whose homes and 

businesses are fed by a line that has 

suffered substantial damage. We realize 

that it is frustrating when a member sees 

everyone around them with lights, but 

they remain without power because of 

issues that affect their individual 

account, such as a broken pole, spans of 

wire down or their meter ripped from 

the side of the house. As you know, we 

have no control over where the damage 

occurs. Accordingly, those whose lights 

come back on when the main lines are 

restored are most always elated, while 

those who have substantial damage to 

their individual account and are not 

restored when the main line is energized 

are sometimes frustrated. Please 

October 2011 

remember Mother Nature determines 

which group you are in, and you may 

very well be in the other group the next 

time she flexes her considerable muscle, 

resulting in damage to our system. 

During Irene, a substantial number of 

our outages were due to the loss of 

power to our substations that serve the 

Emporia District. Unfortunately, it took 

almost 30 hours before our transmission 

provider restored power to our 

substations; but once they did, we 

restored power to over 4,000 MEC 

members almost instantaneously. We 

offer that not as an excuse, but as an 

explanation because ultimately it is our 

job to ensure you have power. In 

addition to the transmission issue, there 

was extensive damage to our system. 

We had 52 broken poles, 41 broken 

cross-arms, 28 damaged or destroyed 

transformers, 76 breakages in threephase 

lines and 162 in single-phase 

lines. We removed over 360 downed 

trees from rights of way and services. 

Throughout the eastern part of our 

system, there were large trees on top of 

electric lines and individual services, 

miles of electric lines laying on the 

ground and, even worse, tangled among 

trees and limbs. 

On behalf of all your cooperative 

employees and Board of Directors, please 

allow me to express our appreciation to 

all of you for your patience, for your 

understanding, and for your support 

during the days following Hurricane 

Irene. While I am hopeful that we met or 

exceeded most of our membership’s 

expectations during the restoration, I am 

also certain that we disappointed a few 

as well. To all our members, please know 

that we regret the inconveniences you all 

suffered as a result of the storm’s wrath 

and in being without power, and that we 

never rested a minute in our around-theclock 

efforts to get your lights back on. 

We also appreciate all those who have 

sent letters, emails or called us to say 

“thanks” or “well done” following the 

storm and the many expressions of 

appreciation and offers of food and other 

acts of kindness that we received 

personally while working in your 

In this picture, an army of bucket and digger-derrick trucks and line crews from four states 

prepare to roll out of the Emporia equipment yard and resume restoration efforts, relieving 

crews that worked throughout the night. At the outage peak, nearly 11,000 MEC members 

were without power as a result of the devastating storm. 

19

communities. I can assure you that there 

is nothing more motivating to your 

employees who are working 16- to 18- 

hour shifts than having one of our 

members drive by and say “thanks for 

what you do.” We received a lot of that 

kind of support in the field, and we are 

so grateful to serve people who 

recognize our efforts and let us know 

when we are meeting their expectations 

of this cooperative. 

Last, but far from least, I would like 

to say our cooperative employees 

performed admirably during the outage 

as did those who were brought in to 

assist. At 6:47 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1, 

all those served by Mecklenburg Electric 

Cooperative were once again enjoying 

the quality of life afforded to us by 

electricity. This was, of course, my first 

hurricane as your President and CEO; 

and I would like to take this opportunity 

to commend all our employees on a job 

very well done. From our crews in the 

field, to those in the office answering the 

phone, to those who were responsible 

for feeding and housing our visiting 

crews, to those in headquarters and the 

other two districts who kept things up 

and running as we moved all available 

resources to Emporia; they worked day 

and night and performed like a welltuned 

engine, always working together, 

and always with a laser focus on one 

goal — restoring service to all our 

members efficiently and safely. I admire 

their dedication and commitment to 

you, our membership, and the pride 

they take in their jobs; I am proud to be 

a part of their very capable team. 

As we say “Good Night, Irene” and 

put her in our rearview mirror, we’ll 

evaluate all aspects of how we handle 

major storms, what we did well and 

what we can do better, in an effort to 

continuously improve our service to 

you. Once again, thank you for your 

patience, cooperation and support, and 

thank you for being a member of 

Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative and 

allowing us to serve you. 

Correct Phone Numbers 

Speed Outage Reporting 

When you call our 

emergency telephone 

number (1-877-632- 

5688), our automated outagereporting 

system quickly 

recognizes and reports your 

outage to us by matching the 

phone number you are calling from 

with the phone number listed on 

your account in our computer. 

When incoming calls go directly to 

our outage-reporting system, they 

immediately are displayed on our 

service map for immediate 

attention from our powerrestoration 

team. 

However, the automated system 

does not recognize your call if the 

telephone number you are calling 

from has not been entered into our 

system. If you call to report an 

outage using a phone that our 

system cannot identify, you will be 

asked to stay on the line, listen to 

automated steps, and leave a 

message. MEC personnel then 

listen to all the messages, one by 

one, to determine the various 

locations of outages. As you can 

imagine, pinpointing outage 

locations using this method takes 

time, and outage calls could be 

processed much faster through our 

automated equipment. 

In order to serve you better, 

especially during an outage, we 

are requesting that you provide us 

with your correct telephone 

number. We have the capability to 

record multiple telephone numbers 

for each member, so be sure to 

include any cell phone numbers 

that you might use to call in 

an outage. 

Making sure we have all your 

current phone numbers would be 

mutually beneficial. If we are 

planning to do maintenance work 

on the lines and will have a brief 

outage, we can notify you ahead 

of time. Or if you call in an 

outage and we need additional 

information, we can get in touch 

with you. While restoring power 

after Hurricane Irene, there were 

several instances where we tried to 

call members back to get more 

information, but their current phone 

numbers were not in our system. 

Help us be prepared for 

whatever Mother Nature may 

bring by making sure we have all 

of your telephone numbers. 

Report Your Numbers! 

Please keep the telephone 

numbers we have on file for 

your account updated at all 

times and provide the 

numbers of all telephones 

you might use to report an 

outage. Doing so allows us 

to better serve you. 

There are a variety of ways 

you can submit or update 

your numbers: 

* Call 1-877-541-5737 

* Fax 1-434-372-6101 

* Email 

info@meckelec.org 

* Complete the form 

on the back of your 

payment stub 


Victims of Hurricane’s Fury Thank MEC Employees 

After Hurricane Irene hit our area on 

Aug. 27, Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative 

(MEC) employees and crews from other 

cooperatives worked long, hard hours — 

day and night — to restore electric service 

to the thousands of MEC members who 

were without power. These men and 

women were away from their own homes 

for days, laboring until they got the 

electricity back on for everyone. 

Many members of MEC have expressed 

their appreciation by writing letters of 

thanks, calling on the telephone, emailing, 

and even jotting notes on their electric-bill 

payments. All these sentiments have been 

passed along to the people responsible for 

bringing the lights back on, and they 

appreciate hearing from you. Following 

are just a few of the words of thanks 

from grateful members of Mecklenburg 

Electric Cooperative. 

We got our power back last night ... 

ahhh, a hot shower!! I want to thank the 

gentlemen who worked on the power. I 

know it’s their job, but I’m sure they were 

tired, hungry, hot and maybe even without 

power in their own homes. They were polite 

and professional. Thank you again. 

Tammy Greco, Emporia 

I know you are busy but I wanted to take 

a moment and thank you for the hard work 

of your crews. It is great that we have folks 

looking out and working for our best 

interests. I am sure you hear plenty of 

complaints so I just wanted to include a 

thank you. 

Mike Dotti, Bracey 

I appreciate all the hard work your guys 

did to get my lights back on. Thank you! 

Genera Layton, Lawrenceville 

Thank you. I am very grateful. 

Juanita Pearson, Brodnax 

As much destruction as I saw, thank you 

so much for getting my lights on as soon as 

you did. 

Ruth DesMarais, Emporia 

John, 

I just wanted to let you know how proud 

you should be of the MEC employees that 

have been working to restore power in the 

Bracey and Ebony areas. While I don’t 

have power as of yet, I have watched them 

all day long, from first thing this morning 

with the outage surveyor that was seeing 

what was needed, to the crews that have 

been rebuilding the 3-phase damage at 

Poplar Creek, to the crews that are on the 

road in front of my house replacing wiring 

as I am writing this. All of them are in good 

spirits and working extremely hard, even 

though some of them have families at home 

with similar storm-related issues, and while 

knowing that they still have many hours of 

hard work yet to be done. 

I am very glad to be a long-term 

member of this cooperative and am very 

happy to see the level of dedication and 

professionalism that these employees 

continue to show, whether there is good 

weather or bad. Please extend our 

community’s thanks to all of the employees 

of MEC. 

John Zubrod, Ebony 

Thank you for your follow-up!!! It’s 

refreshing to know there is still GOOD 

CUSTOMER SERVICE around. 

Linda McCotter, out-of-state resident 

with a mother in Bracey 

Our power came on Monday night. 

Thanks to the entire staff! 

Ome Crawford, Gasburg 

We wish to extend our thanks and 

gratitude for the quick restoration of power 

after the recent storm. We managed for 

three days without electricity and were most 

joyful when it returned. Thanks to all for your 

very hard work. 

The Gayness Family, Gasburg 

We wanted to say a heartfelt thanks for 

getting our electricity on at Browns Creek 

Road as quickly as you did. I know you 

have worked day and night and there were 

just so many outages. Thank you again and 

God Bless You! 

V. J. and India Phillips, Brodnax 

I just want to thank you all for your 

dedication to your jobs. I appreciate the 

expedient service that was rendered to 

all of us since our storm. I know some of 

you had to be away from your families in 

order to give us our power back. Again 

“thank you.” 

DeeLaine Elliott, Emporia 

I want to thank the men for working in 

the dark. Thank you very much. 

Adrean Taylor, Bracey 

Power is back on and I want to thank the 

men that worked in this area. 

Edward Cummins, Gasburg 

Thank you so much for the good job 

you did. 

Saul Moore, Emporia 

I want to thank everyone for doing a 

great job! 

David Thomas Walton, Lawrenceville 

We were very very happy to get our 

lights back on! Good job! Well done! 

Carole Doyle, Valentines 

Thank you! I got my lights back on 

Wednesday night and I was happy when I 

got to take a shower! 

Timothy Logan, Freeman 

Thank you so much for restoring my 

power. All the guys did a great job. 

Tracee Williams, Skippers 

The good old boys came through just 

like they always do. My reference to the 

“good old boys” is meant as a compliment. 

These are the guys who work as many hours 

as it takes to get the job done and still 

manage to be friendly while doing so. They 

push on and genuinely seem to care about 

their jobs, their employer, and their 

customers. Like our military, these guys 

deserve a pat on the back for their efforts 

to serve. How commendable it is, too, that 

cooperatives all across the United States 

share each other’s workers in times of need. 

Keith Mitchell, Emporia 

October 2011 21

Meet Your Cooperative Employee 

“My job is never boring,” says Jeff 

Irby, field engineering technician. 

“There is something different from day 

to day.” 

Jeff is usually the first Mecklenburg 

Electric Cooperative (MEC) employee 

that people who are building a new 

home or business in the Chase City 

district become acquainted with. He 

makes appointments and meets with 

prospective members at their site to 

determine the best way for the electric 

lines to be run, being careful to follow 

the guidelines of The National Electrical 

Safety Code. After discussing the 

potential electrical load with the 

prospective members, he determines the 

transformer size that will best handle 

their electrical needs. He further assists 

by searching records on the Internet and 

at local courthouses to obtain easements 

and right-of-way information. 

“I really enjoy my job,” Jeff 

comments. “I get to meet a lot of new 

people — folks moving here from other 

parts of the country ... local couples 

building their first home ... retiring 

military veterans settling down for a 

laid-back lifestyle ... etc. I try to go out 

of my way to assist them.” 

Jeff and his wife Annette live in the 

Mt. Laurel area and have been married 

20 years. They first met at Mecklenburg 

Electric Cooperative when she was a 

college student working in the office 

during the summer. 

Annette is employed as delivery 

project executive for IBM, where she 

manages internal information and 

customer data. They have two children, 

Josh (age 15) and Kassidy (age 11), both 

of whom are students in Halifax County 

Public Schools. The Irby family attends 

Mt. Laurel United Methodist Church, 

where Jeff is president of the adult 

Sunday school class and sings tenor in 

the choir and with a male quartet. 

In addition to involvement in 

church, Jeff has been a member of the 

Mt. Laurel Ruritan Club since he was 16 

years old. The Ruritans sponsor many 

projects, such as raking leaves or 

delivering firewood for the elderly, 

preparing suppers for widows in the 

community, and having fish fries and 

Jeff Irby 

Field Engineering Technician 

Chase City District 

22 Years of Service 

other events to benefit worthwhile 

organizations. In the past Jeff has served 

as sergeant at arms and vice president; 

and because of his humorous personality, 

he has served as “morale control officer.” 

Jeff is active in the sports realm of his 

community, having served as a ball-team 

coach for 11 years. This past season he 

coached the 15- and 16-year-old boys 

team in Halifax County Dixie Series 

baseball. They won the State 

Tournament in Goochland and 

continued to the World Series in 

Louisiana. His team won the Sportsman 

Award at the state level and at the 

World Series as well. “They are a super 

bunch of kids,” he says, “and I’m proud 

of them!” 

In addition to coaching, Jeff plays 

baseball himself one day a week with 

the Halifax County Old Timers Baseball 

League, a group of men 40 years old and 

above. He pitches and plays shortstop. 

Family members and friends enjoy 

gathering at Halifax County High School 

to watch them play. Other hobbies that 

keep him busy include golf, hunting, 

fishing, and his favorite pastime — 

motorcycle riding. 

Jeff has been employed at the 

cooperative for 22 years. “I feel very 

blessed,” he comments. “I have a great 

wife and family, coworkers who are 

friends, and a job where I have the 

opportunity to help people.” 

Marlene Giglio 

Shares Recipe 

Each month we feature a recipe 

submitted by a reader of Cooperative 

Living magazine. We thank Marlene 

Giglio of South Boston for sending 

this one. 

Pineapple Delight 

4 Tablespoons flour 

¾ cup sugar 

2 (14-oz.) cans tidbit pineapple (drained) 

1½ cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese 

Buttery crackers 

1 stick butter or margarine 

Stir together flour and sugar. Add 

pineapple tidbits and grated cheese. 

Put mixture in a casserole dish and 

crumble crackers over the top. Melt 

butter or margarine and drizzle it over 

the crumbs. Bake at 375 degrees for 

30 minutes. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Ms. Giglio will receive a free copy of 

our cookbook, From the Co-op Kitchen. 

Send us your favorite recipe. If it is 

published, we’ll send you a cookbook 

too. Submit your recipe to: 

Co-op Kitchen 

P.O. Box 2451 

Chase City, VA 23924 

Fax: 434-372-6101 

Email: dblue@meckelec.org 

with the subject line: Recipe 


Meet 75th District Delegate Roslyn Cain Tyler 

Roslyn Cain (Roz) Tyler was elected to 

serve in the Virginia House of 

Delegates on Nov. 8, 2005. She 

represents all of Brunswick and Greensville 

counties and the city of Emporia, and parts 

of the counties of Dinwiddie, Southampton, 

Lunenburg, Sussex, Isle of Wight and the 

city of Franklin. In the past five years she 

has served on the committees of Education; 

General Laws; Commerce and Labor; and 

Militia, Police and Public Safety. 

Delegate Tyler has an interesting political 

background beginning at a very young age. 

In 1985 while a student attending Old 

Dominion University, she was the first female 

to be elected to serve on the Sussex County 

Board of Supervisors and the youngest 

elected official in the Commonwealth of 

Virginia. She served on the board of 

supervisors for 11 years and as chairman for 

numerous years. 

Delegate Tyler, who recently turned 50 

years old, states, “I have been in politics over 

half of my life. My first interest was to be a 

voice for the elderly and assist them with 

their water-contamination condition that 

was a health hazard to many senior 

citizens.” As a result of her hard work, the 

areas now have safe water and sewage 

infrastructure and indoor plumbing. 

She comments, “As a legislator, it is 

important to work well with both parties 

and build good relationships. I work hard to 

protect farmers and the agribusiness 

industries and to create jobs for the people 

of Southside Virginia and strive to represent 

Contact Information for 

Delegate Tyler: 

During Session 

Delegate Roslyn C. Tyler 

Virginia House of Delegates 

P.O. Box 406 

Richmond, VA 23218 

Phone: 804-698-1075 

Fax: 804-698-6775 

Email: DelRTyler@house.virginia.gov 


After Session 

Delegate Roslyn C. Tyler 

25359 Blue Star Highway 

Jarratt, VA 23867 

Phone: 434-336-1710 

Email: tyler75@netscape.com 

Roz Tyler of Jarratt represents District 75 in the Virginia House of Delegates. Pictured above 

is the Tyler family. From left, front row: Ronecia Tyler, Rameka Tyler, Rosché Tyler, and Rufus 

Tyler, Jr. Second row: Rufus Tyler, Sr., and Delegate Tyler. 

them well. I am a dedicated public servant 

and medical professional, and I care deeply 

about my family and the people I serve. It is 

an honor to serve our communities in the 

Virginia General Assembly, and it is a 

responsibility I take very seriously.” 

Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative 

President and CEO John Lee says, “Delegate 

Tyler capably represents a number of our 

members in the eastern part of Mecklenburg 

Electric’s system and is always fast to make 

herself available for our input when there is 

legislation being considered that impacts 

those we serve. We appreciate her hard 

work on their behalf, her support of electric 

cooperatives, and her willingness to hear us 

out on matters that impact our membership 

and our ability to provide high-quality, 

affordable electric service.” 

Delegate Tyler was born in Greensville 

County to Johnny and Gladys Cain and 

attended Greensville County High School. 

After graduation she attended Virginia State 

University and earned a B.S. degree in 

biology. She furthered her education at Old 

Dominion University and earned a B.S. in 

physical therapy and an M.S. in special 

education from Virginia State University. She 

is pursuing a doctoral degree in physical 

therapy at Virginia Commonwealth 

University. This year she was presented with 

an honorary doctoral degree in law from St. 

Paul’s College. 

Delegate Tyler is a senior physical 

therapist at Southern Virginia Regional 

Medical Center in Emporia and has been 

there for 20 years. She is married to Rufus 

Tyler, Sr., who is employed as executive 

director of the Improvement Association, 

Inc., and serves on the Sussex County Board 

of Supervisors. They have been married for 

29 years and live on the scenic Nottoway 

River in Jarratt. They have four children 

who are currently attending college: Rufus 

Tyler, Jr., Ronecia, Rosché, and Rameka. 

They are members of the Chapel Hill Baptist 

Church and sing in the choir at Mt. Calvary 

Baptist Church in Emporia. 

The Tylers have been members of 

Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative for 20 

years. “From our experience as members of 

the cooperative, I commend them for the 

expedient service they provide to the 

community, especially during the aftermath 

of Hurricane Irene,” says Delegate Tyler. 

“From a legislative perspective, the 

cooperative and the VMDAEC (Virginia, 

Maryland & Delaware Association of 

Electric Cooperatives) represent their 

members well in the General Assembly 

concerning any matters that will have an 

impact on their members.” 

23

It’s the Law ... 

Double-Throw Switches 

Required for All Generators 

It’s time for winter weather, and the 

thought may cross your mind, “I’m 

going to buy a generator.” Should 

you decide to buy one or have recently 

purchased one, be sure to also purchase 

and install a double-throw switch 

(sometimes called a transfer switch) to 

isolate the generator from the electric 

utility system coming into your home or 

business. It’s the law, and doing so 

protects your home and your cooperative’s 

line crews. Failing to do so could result 

in major damage to or the loss of your 

home, or to the injury or death of one of 

those who work hard to get your lights 

back on during power restoration. 

The National Electrical Safety Code 

requires standby generators to be wired 

with a double-throw switch. Transformers 

can act as step-up or step-down devices, 

depending on which side the power 

source is located. During normal 

conditions, the transformer outside your 

home “steps down” the electrical voltage 

from 7,200 volts to a home use of 

120/240 volts. When service is interrupted 

and a generator is connected in the 

home, the source side of the transformer 

is reversed and electricity goes back on 

the power line. The transformer “steps 

up” the voltage from 120/240 volts to 

7,200 volts, resulting in a dangerous 

situation for your cooperative employees 

working on the line. 

Connecting a generator directly into a 

home wiring system without the transfer 

switch is very dangerous and illegal. By 

installing a double-throw switch, you 

could save a life and prevent damage to 

your home’s electrical system. We are 

hopeful that our members seldom need a 

generator and that the investment is a 

tough one to justify if you are served by 


(MEC). But if you do decide to move 

forward with one, please have it installed 

the right way and the legal way. 

If you have any questions regarding 

generator use or installation, please don’t 

hesitate to contact MEC for more 

information about double-throw 

switches and the safe use of electricity. 

Upcoming Events 

Barons Invitational: Bluestone High 

School’s Athletics Stadium. Saturday, Oct. 

8. 3 p.m. (434) 372-5702 or email 

rallgood@mcpsweb.org. 

Autumn Jubilee: Chase City. Sunday, 

Oct. 9. 2-6 p.m. Parade at 6 p.m. 

(434) 372-0379. 

South Central Fair: Chase City. 

Tuesday – Saturday, Oct. 11-15. (434) 372- 

4545 or webmaster @southcentralfair.com. 

The Artful Adventuress: Gretna Little 

Theatre. Friday – Sunday, Oct. 14-16. 

7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. 

Sunday. (434) 228-1778. 

Old Timer’s Jubilee: Main Street, 

Gretna. Saturday, Oct. 15. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 

(434) 656-2258. 

Halloween Haunted Trail: J. O. Crews 

Farm, Nathalie. Thursday – Saturday, Oct. 

27-29. 7-10 p.m. on Thursday, 7-11 p.m. 

on Friday and Saturday. (434) 470-2455. 

Monster Mash Halloween Festival: 

Market Square, South Hill. Saturday, Oct. 

29. 4-7 p.m. (434) 447-4547. 

Boydton Day: Boydton. Saturday, Oct. 

29. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Parade at 11 a.m. 

(434) 738-0113, Extension 24. 

Trunk or Treat: Main Street, Chase 

City. Saturday, Oct. 29. 6-9 p.m. Treats for 

the kids, DJ, and entertainment. 

(434) 372-0379. 

Chili Cookoff: MacCallum More 

Gardens, Chase City. Saturday, Nov. 5. 

Deadline for team signups Oct. 20. Cash 

prizes – $500, $250, $150. Chili will be 

served to the public beginning at 11 a.m. 

Admission $5 for adults, free for children 

10 and under. (434) 372-0502 or 

mmmg@verizon.net. 

Free Trick-or-Treat Bags 


has free trick-or-treat bags! Children 

love our Halloween bags because they 

are brightly colored, have easy-grip 

handles, and hold lots of treats. 

Parents love them because safety tips 

are printed on each bag. 

Be sure to stop by our office soon 

and pick up one for each of your 

children. Supplies are limited. 

Have a safe 

and happy 

Halloween! 


Track MEC Outages With New Online Viewer 

The shaded area above represents the portions of nine counties that are served by Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative. The Map Key at the 

right explains the map symbols and provides summary information on current conditions. The viewer can be found on our website, 

www.meckelec.org. 

In 2008, Mecklenburg Electric 

Cooperative implemented a mapbased 

outage-management system 

called DisSPatch, and the technology has 

proven to be a real asset in providing 

data that assists your cooperative in 

locating outages and identifying the 

causes. To enhance the value of the 

system to our members, we added the 

capability to display a real-time online 

map on our website that displays the 

location of outages. 

While evaluating our outagerestoration 

efforts after Hurricane Irene, 

we recognized a need to make changes 

to the online map, allowing our members 

to be better informed regarding our 

restoration efforts. Accordingly, we are 

pleased to announce an upgrade to our 

online outage map that now offers our 

members a more user-friendly way to 

view current outages, identify the areas 

affected, and track restoration progress. 

This outage viewer gives the added 


benefit of seeing the service area and 

outages with the detail of aerial photos. 

By clicking the aerial button, you have 

the capability to zoom into the map and 

see houses and other landmarks visually. 

By downloading an add-on tool, you can 

actually acquire 3D capability that 

allows a bird’s-eye view of the streets. 

In the new viewer, our outages are 

displayed within latitude- and longitudecalculated 

locations on the map, and our 

service territory is shaded. Any outages 

will be represented by dots. By referring 

to the map key in the lower right-hand 

portion of the page, you can determine 

the magnitude of the outage or number 

of members impacted. The information 

displayed on the right-hand side of the 

page also includes the total number of 

outages (total outages), members that 

are predicted out by our outagerestoration 

system (members affected), 

and members that are currently without 

power (members out now). We have 

also broken down the number of 

impacted members per county to enable 

the local reporting agencies to access 

information on outages affecting their 

respective areas. 

Please note that in order to minimize 

outage times and report information 

accurately on this site and to our outagerestoration 

system, we need all current 

phone numbers that may be used by 

each of our members to report their 

outages. Our system has the capability of 

recognizing multiple telephone numbers 

for each member, and it is critical that 

we have your correct home number and 

all phone numbers, including cell phone 

numbers, that might be used to report 

your outage. It takes only minutes to 

update your numbers in our records, 

and doing so allows us to identify and 

address your outage more efficiently. 

Please update your contact numbers by 

calling 1-877-541-5737 at any time and 

selecting option 3. 

25

October 2011 - Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?