Talquin Electric suffered downed power lines and snapped pine trees just like these along Ga. State Route 253 in Seminole County bear mute witness to the intensity of Hurricane Michael as it moved across Southwest Georgia. | By Georgia National Guard
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will send more than $20 million for Hurricane Michael recovery work to reimburse the City of Parker and Talquin Electric Cooperative.
FEMA approved sending the money to the State of Florida to pass along to the city and electric coop, WJHG reported.
Parker gets $7.3 million for two debris removal projects following the October 2018 category 5 storm. The city’s workers collected and disposed of 386,471 cubic yards of vegetative debris. Another 147,935 yards of construction and demolition debris also was removed.
The hurricane destroyed the dog park and other parts of the Parker Sports Complex, Panama City News Herald reported. The city used that location to initially collect debris immediately after the storm. Homes and businesses also received extensive damages.
Talquin Electric’s $12.8 million reimbursement funds cover repairs to its hurricane-damaged facilities in Leon, Liberty, Gadsden and Wakulla counties. The electric coop had to repair or replace electrical power poles, transformers, and power distribution lines after the storm.
Talquin Electric reported on its website soon after the storm that approximately 20,000 pole locations over their 4,400 miles of power lines were damaged in the storm. Almost 1,000 outdoor light service orders were made.
The electric coop estimated the hurricane’s impact to be $35 million to $45 million. That includes $3 million in materials, more than $11 million in labor and $260,000 in fuel. Talquin added more than 600 employees to its workforce during the restoration.
FEMA’s Public Assistance program provided the funds.
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