Southside Electric Cooperative (SEC) customers are suffering gravely due to a lack of executive management by SEC. Virginia was hit by an ice storm on February 13, 2021 and another ice storm on February 18, 2021. Many customers have not had power the entire time period. Customers were notified on February 18, 2021 that power would be out up to March 1, 2021. Many of which are elderly and have chronic health conditions.

The service area is extremely too large; making it impossible for the cooperative to service it effectively. The misallocation of funding, equipment (lightline poles and their app), and resources has resulted in customers not having power for weeks at a time, electric bills that are 3x more than customers in other locales served by other electric companies, loss of food and water, additional costs, emotional distress and pain/suffering during a natural disaster and pandemic- Covid.

An overwhelming majority of SEC's customer base is currently without power. People are afraid to leave home and stay with other family members due to the fear of contracting or spreading Covid.

This makes it extremely difficult for SEC customers to make ends meet. There also needs to be an investigation of the disproportionate servicing of some locales while others lack sufficient electric service.

An investigation and restructuring of SEC's customer service grid, executive management, budget practices, and systems/processes needs to occur.

In order to receive federal aid for the losses inflicted upon us by SEC, we request you declare a state of emergency that addresses the losses inflicted by SEC. We request this so the people of Southside Virginia can file claims for their financial losses... reimbursement for hotels, burnt out generators, loss of spoiled food, eating out, gas bills for running generators and so on.

This petition was created out of grave concern for the citizens served by SEC and my desire to see Southside Virginia flourish. Each community is a vital facet to keep our infrastructure in Southside Virginia intact. The vitality of individuals in the SEC service area is being hindered by SEC's lack of management and squandering of resources.