JCE Co-op crews worked around the clock to restore power to co-op members after a destructive line of thunderstorms with high winds and heavy lightning swept across the co-op’s service territory Monday evening, July 15.

Across its service territory, the co-op saw a peak of more than 1,200 members without power, according to Brandon Sebena, director of operations. Hardest hit areas were in Jo Daviess and Carroll counties.

Tree damage and multiple smaller outages slowed the co-op response. All available co-op crews including crews from JCE Co-op’s southern territory worked through the night Monday into Tuesday, July 16, to repair damage that included downed lines and broken poles in the wake of the storm. By noon, the outage numbers were reduced to approximately 60 members.

Due to heavy tree damage in some areas, the co-op brought in additional contractor tree crews. Restoration efforts again continued through the night, and by mid-morning on Wednesday, July 17, the outage maps were showing six outages with 10 affected member services.

“The effects of the storm will keep JCE crews busy for days as they continue to make permanent repairs to our system,” Sebena said.

“The co-op is appreciative of our members’ patience and understanding following the recent storms,” said Mike Casper, JCE Co-op president and CEO. “We appreciate all of the comments and messages of support we received while our crews were working on restoration and since then.

“We are extremely grateful for our crews, operations personnel and other co-op employees who worked tirelessly to perform the demanding work of restoring power in difficult and dangerous conditions.”

According to the National Weather Service, the storm was classified as a derecho – a widespread, long-lived windstorm – that extended from eastern Iowa, much of Illinois and into Indiana. Corridors of significant wind damage occurred along Highway 20. Wind gusts in excess of 80 mph were recorded in Jo Daviess County.