Dear Member-Owners,
As this edition of Power Pulse reaches you, our crews have completed recovery efforts following Winter Storm Fern, which moved into our service territory beginning Saturday, January 24. This storm brought a prolonged period of freezing rain and significant ice accumulation, creating hazardous conditions across much of northeastern North Carolina.
Ice storms are especially challenging. Unlike snow, ice adds tremendous weight to trees and power lines, increasing the likelihood of limbs—or entire trees—coming into contact with electrical infrastructure. During this event, Roanoke Cooperative did experience outages, with peak interruptions reaching approximately 1,500 member-owners at one time.
Any outage is one too many, particularly during winter weather. At the same time, it is important to provide context around what made this storm different.
As restoration efforts progressed, it became increasingly clear that Winter Storm Fern was a highly localized event. The most severe freezing rain and ice accumulation were concentrated in and around our service territory, while many other parts of the state experienced far less impact. This heavy, prolonged ice affected multiple electric systems serving this same region, helping explain why outages were largely confined to northeastern North Carolina.
Simply put, our area sat directly in the path of the storm’s most damaging conditions.
Our line crews and support teams began restoration work early Sunday morning, January 25, often under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions. By Monday, January 26, all active services had been restored.
That outcome was the result of a coordinated effort involving:
- Highly trained line crews working safely and efficiently
- Support staff managing logistics, communications, and member-owner assistance
- Mutual aid partners who stood ready to assist if needed
- Member-owners who showed patience, understanding, and appreciation throughout the process
To every employee, contractor, and partner involved—thank you. Your professionalism and commitment to service were evident at every step.
Storms like Fern also highlight something that often goes unnoticed when things are working well: right-of-way management.
Over many years, Roanoke Cooperative has made consistent investments in:
- Reclaiming and maintaining clear rights-of-way
- Ground-to-sky vegetation management
- Proactive system hardening and maintenance
While no amount of trimming can eliminate outages during a severe ice event, these efforts do reduce their frequency, severity, and duration. Clearer rights-of-way mean fewer tree-related contacts, safer working conditions for our crews, and faster restoration for our member-owners.
Even with ice accumulation heavy enough to cause widespread damage, our system performance reflects the value of long-term, disciplined investment in reliability.
Reliability does not begin when the weather turns bad. It is built years in advance through planning, maintenance, training, and thoughtful investment decisions that prioritize long-term value and system resilience.
Winter Storm Fern tested our system—and our people—and I am proud of how both responded.
Thank you for placing your trust in Roanoke Cooperative. We remain committed to keeping the lights on, responding when nature has other plans, and continuing the work that strengthens our system for whatever comes next.
Connecting People, Places, and Possibilities… Today, Tomorrow, Together.
In Service,
Marshall Cherry
President & CEO