Georgia Magazine - June 2010 - (Page 15)

KIZZY HOWELL / GREYSTONE POWER PATRICK MCCOMAS / GEORGIA EMC Linemen to the rescue The U.S. Marine Corps color guard presents the flags at the memorial. Memorial tribute to FDR Sunlight streamed through the pines onto the Georgia cottage home of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt as people from throughout the nation gathered in Warm Springs April 12 to pay tribute to him on the 65th anniversary of his death. Roosevelt died in 1945 at the Little White House, the West Georgia home where many of his important decisions as president were formulated, including the plan to bring electricity into rural America. Georgia Electric Membership Corp. CEO/President Paul Wood introduced keynote speaker Glenn English, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. English, chief spokesman for the nation’s consumer-owned electric cooperatives, praised the Depression-era president whose Rural Electrification Administration (REA) brought electric power into rural homes and farms. “All of you who come from rural America owe much to this great president,” English said. “Roosevelt talked to farmers here and recognized the great gap between people living in rural America and urban America. If it had not been for the people in this region, I don’t think FDR would have been nearly as in tune with the hardships of rural America.” The partnership continues, said English. Today, 2.3 million miles of electric lines provide power to 42 million people throughout the United States. June 2010 In September 2009, linemen Josh Jones and Joe Nicholson from DouglasvilleJoe Nicholson based GreyStone Power were Josh Jones responding to a power outage caused by downed lines on Laird jumped on the truck bed, threw a Road in Paulding County. rope out to the boy and pulled him The road was flooded, and as in. “He was in shock and shaking. the men drove around it, they The only thing he could say was, encountered a car washed off of the ‘I’m cold,’” Nicholson recalls. road. “We shined the spotlight on In the 10 minutes it took to resthe car and called out,” says Jones. cue the boy, the water had risen “A boy in his late teens, early 20s from the top of the car’s tires to climbed out and jumped on the top cover the car. of the car.” Jones immediately “We were just doing what anyradioed GreyStone Power dispatchone would have done,” Nicholson ers and told them to call 911. observes. “I’m just glad we got Jones safely positioned his there when we did.” truck at the water’s edge. Nicholson —Kizzy Howell, GreyStone Power Rutland rescues neighbor from flooding GreyStone Power deep water. By the time he left Board Director Charles with McMillan, the water had Rutland’s phone rang risen to his chest. “When I got at 3:30 a.m. on Sept. Marvine out, I realized how 21, 2009. His neighbor, bad it was. In 10 more minMarvine McMillan, had utes, she would’ve had to a broken foot and was swim,” Rutland recalls. waiting for help. With Rutland says his work with floodwaters rising in- Charles Rutland GreyStone Power helped preside her home, she gathered up pare him. “Service is just built into some clothes and was ready when us. The people in our office and the Rutland arrived. guys in the field were just fantastic,” The water was up over the he says, describing the work done driveway, but Rutland was able to by the cooperative’s employees enter through the front door. Once after the historic flooding. inside, he waded through waist—Ashley Kramer, GreyStone Power COURTESY GREYSTONE POWER DANNY NORTH / GREYSTONE POWER September’s floodwaters left 37,688 members without power in GreyStone Power’s service area. More than 100 GreyStone linemen and 11 crews from Pike Electric worked to restore power. Initial estimates showed the storms and flooding did $617,000 in damage to GreyStone’s system. www.georgiamagazine.org 15 KIZZY HOWELL / GREYSTONE POWER Everyday heroes http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - June 2010

Georgia Magazine - June 2010
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar
Currents
Special Energy Report
Winning Reader Stories
Honorable Mentions: More Vacation Stories
Georgia on a Budget
Around Georgia
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Gardening Tips
Georgia Cooks
Cookbook of the Month
Snapshot

Georgia Magazine - June 2010