Watch for Linemen on the side of Roads

Wind and freezing rain are wrecking havoc on power lines in the Upstate, so motorists are urged to be vigilant behind the wheel. As well as watching out for other motorists, watch for linemen working on the side of the road, encourages Terry Ballenger manager of communications for Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative. “I think it is just a matter of being alert while they’re behind the wheel. We do have crews in some situations working alongside the roads because that is where a lot of our power lines are in place, paralleling roadways.” Some 300 linemen are now working to restore power to the cooperative’s service area in Anderson, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens and a small portion of Spartanburg counties. Ballenger also cautions about sagging power lines. “I know there are a lot of things that you got to be aware of in this kind of weather. Black ice is one, oncoming motorists are another but also be alert for things like sagging power lines because that can be something you encounter every now and then in a situation like this.” Blue Ridge has about 9,100 customers in Anderson County, 4,500 in Greenville County, 31 in Spartanburg County, with the remainder divided equally between Oconee and Pickens counties. With 63,500 members, Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative is South Carolina’s fourth largest cooperative.