Pointe Coupee Electric News

Employee
of the Month - August 2016
Shane Johnson
Each month Pointe Coupee Electric
highlights one of its valued employees. The Cooperative understands the
importance of its member owners getting to know the people who are instrumental in providing them with quality
electric services.
This month Pointe Coupee Electric
introduces Shane Johnson to its member owners. The cooperative is very
fortunate to have Shane as a part of
their Operations Department. Shane
began his
employment at
Pointe Coupee
Electric in June
1997 and presently holds the position of Lineman for
the Operations Department. Shane’s
responsibilities include new construction of lines and maintaining the current system. You will also find Shane
answering trouble calls and providing
service work, keeping power lines free
of limbs, vines and other obstructions.
Shane will tell you the best thing about
his job is working with people and
helping the members he works with on
a day-to-day basis. (Acct. No. 10002)
Paint Pointe Coupee Purple
Fundraiser is
Due to the recent storm and flood, Pointe Coupee
Electric is canceling our Paint Pointe Coupee
Purple Fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.
This event will not be rescheduled for this year. All
money for shirt and bow orders placed prior to
August 15 will be returned as quickly as possible.
If you would still like to make a donation to the
American Cancer Society, please visit http://
relay.acsevents.org. Thank you for your continued
support for this very worthy cause.
Energy Efficiency
Tip of the Month
Consider insulating your
water heater tank, which
could reduce standby heat
losses by 25 to 45 percent
and save you about 4 to 9
percent in water heating
costs. You can find
pre-cut jackets or blankets
available from around $20.
Source: energy.gov
Look for your lucky account number on pages 6-7
If you see your account number published this month on
inside pages 6-7 of this issue of LOUISIANA COUNTRY,
call Pointe Coupee Electric by the last business day of the
month to receive a $25 credit on your bill! Contact us at
(225) 638-3751 or (800) 738-7232. Your account number
can be found on your bill statement. Winning account numbers will only be listed on the inside, centerfold pages.
Page 6 • Louisiana Country • September 2016
Pointe Coupee Electric News
Myron A. Lambert, Manager
Jimmy Ewing, President
Pointe Coupee Electric Membership Corp.
P.O. Box 160, New Roads, LA 70760 (638-3751)
www.pcemc.org
PCEMC responds to record flood event
Myron Lambert’s honeymoon period
as general manager of Pointe Coupee
Electric didn’t last very long.
Just a few weeks after taking over the
reins at PCEMC, Lambert found himself
in a driving rainstorm in the dead of night
helping to stave off flooding in a New
Roads neighborhood served by the local
electric cooperative.
“I was with city officials at a family’s
home one night trying to hold back the
floodwaters with sand bags,” Lambert
said. “We’re a member-owned cooperative
and that’s what cooperatives do – help the
people we serve the best way we can.”
The flood that swamped an estimated
300 homes in Pointe Coupee Parish was
brought on by the same storm system that
dumped record amounts of rainfall on
the east side of the Mississippi River last
month.
The storm caused nearly 100 outages
for PCEMC members in New Roads and
also caused flood waters to spill over the
banks of False River. Then, just days later,
a PCEMC power delivery substation on
Hwy. 415 was struck by lightning and
caused nearly half of the cooperative’s
members to experience a power outage
that lasted for several hours until repairs
could be made. (Acct. No. 439500)
It all adds up to a rather eventful welcome for Lambert.
“It doesn’t really bother me,” he said.
“It’s all about serving the members. It’s
what we do. We have the greatest staff in
the world, hard-working men and women
who are true professionals and who are
ready day or night to keep the power on at
all times, rain or shine.”
Some of those local staff members
came to experience the difficulties brought
to the region by the summer storm system
that swamped the Greater Baton Rouge
area. Several PCEMC employees and their
friends and relatives sustained property
damage from the storm.
Lambert said the co-op was there to
help. A hat was passed among the employees, raising hundreds of dollars toward the
recovery efforts of seven families.
PCEMC employees Deron and Tracy
McLin received a contribution that was
used to assist Tracy’s elderly parents
recover after the couple lost their home
and all of their possessions and vehicles
when floodwaters inundated the town of
Denham Springs in Livingston Parish.
“My in-laws have a long way to go.
It’s devastating to have such a horrible
disaster come and take away everything
you’ve worked for,” Deron said. “It’s
going to take some time for them to
rebuild, but this contribution from our
friends and co-workers here at Pointe
Coupee Electric really means a lot. It’s
WARNING!
Do not tamper
with electronic meters
Some consumers from Pointe Coupee Electric have electronic
meters. Sometimes the electronic meters will malfunction and the
screen will be blank.
Please contact us and treat the meter as if it is energized. Just
because a meter does not show any readings, does not indicate
that there is no electricity flowing through the meter. Tampering
with a meter is against the law, and may cause shock or electrocution. (Acct. No. 2407600)
To report a malfunctioning meter, please call Pointe Coupee
Electric at (225) 638-3751 or 1-800-738-7232.
Pointe Coupee Electric responded to the recent record floods by restoring electrical power to those structures able to receive power and by providing financial support to seven families impacted by the flood. Photos provided by Mary
Denny with the Pointe Coupee Banner.
great to know that you work with such a
great group of people and that they have
your back when a disaster strikes.”
Some PCEMC employees even made
direct personal donations to fellow co-op
employees at Dixie Electric Membership Corp. (DEMCO), which is based in
Central in East Baton Rouge Parish and is
one of the largest co-ops in the state with
more than 100,000 meters.
PCEMC Director of Member Services
Joanie Bishop said that like many cooperative employees throughout the state and
nation, staff members of the two organizations often collaborate on various projects,
including organizing an upcoming statewide continuing education conference in
Lake Charles.
“Anytime there’s a cooperative in
need, we’re here to help,” Bishop said.
“Being part of the state and national
cooperative network means we can enjoy
all the advantages of being a local, homegrown power provider while also taking
advantage of the strength of that larger
network when needed.”
Operations Manager Craig Magruder
explained that along with sharing expertise and resources with other cooperatives
as needed in the areas of engineering,
safety, finance and more, co-ops also have
mutual aid agreements whereby cooperatives agree to send linemen and equipment
to one another in the event of a cata-
strophic storm.
Magruder said PCEMC and other
cooperatives were prepared to dispatch
assistance for DEMCO – after local needs
were addressed, of course – during the
recent flood. (Acct. No. 2399300)
“That’s just what we’re about…we
send help when they need it, and we
receive help when we need it,” Magruder
said. “Fortunately, this time we were
able to take care of our own system and
DEMCO was able to successfully recover
without our help. But we’re ready for the
next event. Hurricane season is just getting cranked up and our plan is already in
place to be prepared for whatever takes
place.”
September 2016 • Louisiana Country • Page 7
LOUISIANA
Your Cooperative Connection
Pointe Coupee Electric News
September 2016 • www.pcemc.org
C O U N T RY
Pointe Coupee Electric
responds to record flood event