From the funeral service for James Ussery. Photo by West Florida Electric Cooperative.
Hurricane Michael claimed 45 lives. Among the lost were four linemen, three of whom were from eastern North Carolina.
On Friday, October 12, James “Michael” Alligood of Chocowinity, passed away as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He worked for River City Construction and was on his way to help restore power in western North Carolina.
On October 24, three linemen were killed by a hit-and-run driver while working to restore power at West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC). Two of the linemen were from eastern North Carolina and worked for Tideland’s electrical construction contractor, Lee Electrical. The third lineman was a WFEC employee.
WFEC suffered catastrophic damage from Hurricane Michael, with over 8,500 broken poles and more than 4,500 damaged transformers. Over 1,200 personnel traveled to assist the 25,000 member co-op with the rebuilding effort.
The Nash Community College Foundation in Rocky Mount has established the Ryan Barrett Memorial Lineman Scholarship Fund in honor of the youngest of the three linemen killed in Florida. Please consider giving online with gift designation being NCC Foundation Student Scholarship Program and designation comments Ryan Barrett Fund.
