APRIL 2024
THE MESSENGER A Publication for North Arkansas Electric Cooperative Members
Recognizing lineworkers
NAEC preps for eclipse Millions of people across North and South America will experience a total solar eclipse April 8. All of North Arkansas Electric Cooperative's service area is in the path of totality — where the moon’s shadow completely will cover the sun — and that is expected to draw an unprecedented number of tourists in the days before to experience almost 4 minutes of darkness in the afternoon. State and local government agencies, the hospitality industry and other organizations have planned for months, or even years, for the influx of visitors. Area school districts will close for the day. Road construction projects will be suspended. Hospitals will have extra staff on hand. NAEC created a committee of employees to address any needed preparations for before, during and after the eclipse. We also reached out to electric co-ops that were in the path of totality of the 2017 eclipse for their experiences and attended a day-long table-top drill in October hosted by Baxter Health and other community partners. We decided to close NAEC offices April 8 and keep employees on standby in the event of a power outage. Members still will be able to use the cash deposit boxes at each office and report any outage to the dispatchers on duty. NAEC also has worked to educate our employees and interns on how to view the eclipse without damaging their eyes. During the partial eclipse phases before and after totality, people must use specialized eye protection, such as eclipse safety glasses, that is ISO 12312-2-certified. The eye — Continued on Back
An NAEC line crews works on a system improvement job in Mountain Home. On April 8, NAEC and other utilities throughout the country will celebrate Lineworker Appreciation Day to honor the men and women who power life! Rain or shine, day or night, lineworkers brave challenging conditions to make sure we have electricity when we need it.
Please slow down and stay focused when approaching roadside work zones.