For centuries, humans have been fascinated by the solar eclipse.

Mississippi’s trees add year-round beauty to our state, but they can also be a hazard to the electrical grid. This is particularly true during times of drought. The Mississippi Forestry Commission recently released the 2024 Pine Mortality Report, which found that there are more than 12.5 million dead trees in the state resulting from the 2023 drought.

Severe weather is impacting our region with increased strength and greater frequency. And, we are adapting. As we focus on hardening the grid, our goal is to make prudent investments and upgrades for crews to have a safer, faster restoration the next time a storm hits. One way we are hardening our system is by changing the design standard on pole construction from horizontal to vertical framing.