Louisville Gas & Electric and Kentucky Utilities are sending crews to Florida on Friday ahead of Hurricane Dorian, which is expected to make landfall over Labor Day holiday weekend.
Nearly 240 linemen, team leaders, safety specialists and support staff will help repair the damages the hurricane is expected to leave behind.
“This is what our crews and what our line technicians and employees overall love to do,” said Natasha Collins, LG&E spokeswoman. “They really appreciate the opportunity to assist in areas that need our help.”
The crews departed Friday morning and will meet at a staging area in Florida over the weekend.
Florida Power and Light issued the call as part of a mutual assistance program among utilities across the country. The utility will also be the one footing the bill for the services.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared an emergency earlier this week ahead of the hurricane, which is expected to make landfall as a Category 4 with winds that could exceed 110 miles per hour.
Before sending the crews, LG&E considered how much help they were able to provide without reducing service for local customers.
It’s unclear how long the crews will stay in Florida to assist with the repairs.
“We’re a utility just like the one we are helping and it’s important to be able to provide energy to customers and to help people through this kind of crisis,” Collins said.
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