Afternoon thunderstorms on Sept. 11 caused outages throughout Central Alabama Electric Cooperative’s (CAEC) service territory, leaving an estimated 2,530 members without electrical service during the storm’s peak.

At approximately 2:30 p.m., the storms’ gusty winds swept through Autauga County leaving many power lines down and 1,277 members without power. Another storm affected the east side of the co-op’s service territory when a microburst struck near the Redland community in Elmore County leaving 12 poles broken, multiple lines down and 3,737 members without power. A microburst is a violent outrush of air to the ground, capable of producing damaging straight-line winds.

Crews worked throughout the night, restoring power to members in Autauga and Elmore Counties. Seventy-seven members living in the hardest hit area of Redland were without power overnight and into the next day as poles and lines were reset. All power was restored by 3 p.m. on Monday.

“We would like to thank our members for their understanding and patience during this weather event,” said CAEC President and CEO Tom Stackhouse. “Their kind words and actions meant so much to our employees – we are privileged to serve each and every member.”