Co-ops Show ‘Cooperative Spirit’ During National Co-op Month in October

Thousands of cooperatives across the U.S celebrated National Co-op Month in October, and the recent hurricanes and flooding in the Southeast provided an opportunity for Tennessee Valley co-ops to put the cooperative spirit into action in mighty ways.

When Hurricane Helene dumped a massive 40-trillion gallons of water on parts of North Carolina and Tennessee September 26th-27th, local co-ops wasted no time in organizing relief efforts. TECA, TVPPA, and TMEPA banded together to deploy personnel and compile lists of drop-off points and supply drives to distribute to the public. The groups also worked together to organize and promote external ways fellow co-ops could donate funds directly to affected members. (One way to donate monetary aid to affected co-op employees is through the TECA Employee Relief Fund.

When it was safe to proceed, area co-ops and municipalities in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and Kentucky deployed more than 500 line workers to North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and east Tennessee to restore power and assist with cleanup efforts from the heavy wind and rain that left 1.25 million co-op members in the dark following Hurricane Helene and shortly after, Hurricane Milton.

Preliminary estimates put the cost of Hurricane Helene at $20 billion to $34 billion, with property damage as high as $26 billion. For the most heavily devastated areas, the road to recovery will be long, but with the help of their friends and neighbors, these communities will not walk alone.