CHARLESTON, W.Va., Sept. 26, 2025 – One year after Hurricane Helene made landfall, Appalachian Power (APCo) is reflecting on its effort to assist communities in rebuilding. The hurricane brought strong winds and heavy rain, causing extensive damage to homes, businesses, roads and electrical infrastructure. With nearly 500 miles of destruction, Helene was the deadliest hurricane to strike the mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Approximately four million Americans, spanning from Florida to southern Virginia, lost electricity. In rural Appalachia, flooding destroyed homes, while washed-out roads and bridges hindered access to essential services. Emergency officials and utility crews navigated unprecedented flooding, mudslides and heavy debris to facilitate recovery. Within 10 days, APCo crews dedicated approximately one million hours to restoring electricity to 282,000 affected customers, effectively rebuilding the power grid in the hardest-hit regions. In total, nearly 1,500 broken poles, over 200 miles of downed wire and more than 470 damaged transformers were replaced during the 10-day restoration process.
“A year ago, we saw Helene rip through my hometown of Damascus,” said Jacob Holmes, external affairs manager. “Our team at APCo stepped up immediately to help our friends, families and neighbors. Many of our folks left their families at home to deal with damage, such as trees falling on roofs and flooded homes, so they could come to work and serve their communities. I couldn’t be prouder of my coworkers and their steadfast dedication.”
The safe and efficient restoration earned APCo an Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award. Presented to EEI member companies twice a year, the award recognizes recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events.
APCo received two EEI awards for storm restoration work in 2024.
“We will never forget the devastation of Hurricane Helene across Appalachia and the workers from around the country who responded to our call for help,” said Aaron Walker, APCo president and chief operating officer. “The task of restoring power to so many people was daunting. We were immensely proud of our crews, who worked quickly across treacherous terrain and hazardous conditions, all while doing this work safely. The impacts from Hurricane Helene and other storm events further strengthen our commitment to making investments in our infrastructure and working to reduce extended outages for customers.”
APCo prioritizes strengthening the electric grid to improve reliability for its 1.1 million customers across northeastern Tennessee, southern Virginia and parts of West Virginia.