Stearns Electric Linemen Luke Gilbertson and Jacob “Mittens” Ronning returned home safely after two weeks spent in the south helping restore numerous power outages caused by back-to-back hurricanes.

The linemen left on Wed., Oct. 2 for mutual aid assistance at Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative in Pickens, South Carolina following the devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene. After five days of service, they were set to travel home to Minnesota when another mutual aid call came in from the Florida Electric Cooperative Association. They turned around and headed to Peace River Electric Cooperative in Wauchula, Florida to help with restoration efforts post-Hurricane Milton.

“As an electric cooperative, we follow the seven cooperative principles. One of those is ‘Cooperation Among Cooperatives.’ Many times, this principle is exemplified through mutual aid efforts where we assist neighboring cooperatives in restoring power to their members following either ice or summer storms,” Matt O’Shea, CEO of Stearns Electric Association, said. 

“Every once in a while, we get a mutual aid call from another state, as was the case this October, and we are happy to answer those calls whenever we are able.”

Since Gilbertson and Ronning were so close to Florida when the second call for mutual aid came in, they were among the first cooperatives on-site to assist at Peace River Electric, where they spent another three long days navigating mass destruction and restoring power outages.

Stearns Electric welcomed the linemen home on Tues., October 15 with a police escort in Melrose, provided by the Melrose Police Department. 

Those interested can visit the Cooperative’s Facebook page, facebook.com/stearnselectric, to see a video of their return.

Before Stearns Electric commits to sending any crews to assist in mutual aid efforts, the Cooperative considers the immediate needs of Stearns Electric’s distribution system and workload. Additionally, mutual aid efforts are reimbursed completely including labor and equipment.

Every October, cooperatives across the country celebrate National Co-op Month – a time to recognize and bring awareness to the value cooperative businesses bring to their members and communities.

“We are proud to provide support and assistance to other co-op members across the country, especially as we celebrate National Co-op Month,” O’Shea concluded.