Monsoon Storms Knock Out Power Around Willcox

Cochise County has experienced a lot of intense monsoon thunderstorms lately. This week, the storms brought more than heavy rain and lightning.

The Willcox area got the brunt of the storms, according to weatherspark.com, and those storms caused severe damage to major parts of the electric power system. Hundreds of residents in Willcox experienced power outages. Sulfur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative worked diligently to restore power to all affected areas as quickly and efficiently as possible.

SSVEC Restores Power to Electric Customers

According to a press release from Eric Petermann at SSVEC, crews began responding Sunday night after thunderstorms damaged transmission and distribution lines in the Willcox area. About 1,100 members were initially without power, as crews worked quickly to restore electricity to the area.

Repairs in Willcox. Photo Courtesy SSVEC

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How The Restoration Unfolded

SSVEC worked to restore power to residents in Willcox. Here's how the restoration progressed:

• Sunday Night: Crews assessed the damage, isolated damaged sections, and worked to restore service where conditions allowed. Crews found 33 damaged transmission poles and 10 damaged distribution poles during early checks of the power lines.
• Monday Morning: More damage was found, including additional downed power poles. SSVEC sent power crews from across the Cochise County service area to assist Willcox crews and began requesting mutual-aid assistance from neighboring cooperatives to restore power.
• Tuesday: Crews replaced poles, rebuilt lines, and restored service to more customers. Graham County Electric Cooperative joined the effort.
• Tuesday Night into Wednesday: A Willcox night crew hauled transmission poles from Sierra Vista and set four poles while more storms created new outages in other areas.
• Wednesday Morning: About 53 SSVEC members were still without power near Willcox, while crews from Graham County Electric Cooperative, Mohave Electric Cooperative, and TRICO Electric Cooperative helped continue the restoration.

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man in red and black jacket wearing orange helmet

Crews Focus on the Longest Outages

Crews continued to restore power to members in the Willcox area, while intermittent thunderstorms continued throughout the area.

SSVEC said the full damage count reached 33 transmission poles and 27 distribution poles.

By Tuesday evening, most of the power had been restored to customers, including 55 members. The work continued into Wednesday, with crews mainly focusing on rebuilding the damaged transmission system, finishing the distribution repairs, and restoring service to the members who had been without power the longest.

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man standing on bucket beside gray current post at daytime

Stay Safe and Stay Informed

With more thunderstorms in the forecast over the next few days, there may be more outages throughout Cochise County.

SSVEC reminds everyone to stay safe. Never approach a downed power pole and stay far away from downed power lines.

Never touch or try to move a downed line, and keep children and pets away from damaged areas. If you lose power, you can find outage information on the SSVEC website.