For Immediate Release

CHELCO Prepared for Hurricane Isaias Response

DeFuniak Springs (Oct. 9, 2026) — As Hurricane Isaias approaches Northwest Florida, CHELCO is fully prepared to respond to storm-related outages and restore service safely and efficiently.

Preparation for hurricane season began months ago, and CHELCO has spent the year reviewing response plans, securing resources, and coordinating with partners to ensure everything is in place ahead of the storm. More than 190 CHELCO employees are ready to respond, and additional contractor crews, mutual aid cooperatives, and support partners have been mobilized. Mutual aid and contractor support includes crews from Chain Electric, Pike Electric, Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, LineCo, Southland Utility Services, and HTC.

In total, approximately 400 individuals will come together to work toward a common goal: a safe and efficient power restoration for all affected members.

“Every storm is different, but our commitment remains the same,” said CHELCO CEO Steve Rhodes. “All hands are on deck, and every CHELCO employee and contractor plays a role in helping our members and communities recover as quickly and safely as possible.”

CHELCO follows a restoration process designed to restore power to the greatest number of members as quickly as possible. Restoration efforts typically begin with transmission facilities, substations, and major distribution lines that serve the largest number of members before progressing to smaller lines and individual service connections.

Members are encouraged to visit CHELCO.com for hurricane response resources, including outage monitoring tools, information on reporting outages, and links to local emergency management agencies and hurricane preparedness resources.

CHELCO also reminds the public to stay far away from downed power lines and to assume all lines are energized.

For frequent updates throughout the storm, follow @MyCHELCO on Facebook or visit CHELCO.com.

About CHELCO

CHELCO is a not-for-profit electric cooperative serving more than 76,000 accounts in Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, and Santa Rosa counties, including on Eglin Air Force Base.

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