AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As the damage
continues to be assessed following Hurricane Irma, FirstEnergy
Corp. (NYSE: FE) utilities are sending additional linemen and
support personnel to help utilities in Florida with restoration efforts following
large-scale power outages.
The crews are scheduled to leave for Florida early Thursday morning from various
FirstEnergy utility facilities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, West Virginia and
Maryland. They will join other FirstEnergy employees that
traveled to Florida late last week
and are now working in the field to restore power to
customers. Overall, more than 630 FirstEnergy employees are
assisting with the restoration effort, along with a full contingent
of tree trimmers and electrical contractors who have working
relationships with FirstEnergy.
All 10 of FirstEnergy's utilities are part of the mutual
assistance effort, which includes crews from Ohio Edison, The
Illuminating Company, and Toledo Edison in Ohio; Penelec, Penn Power, West Penn Power and
Met-Ed in Pennsylvania; Mon Power
in West Virginia; Potomac Edison
in West Virginia and Maryland; and Jersey Central Power & Light
in New Jersey. Support personnel from FirstEnergy's corporate
offices also are included in the company's contingent.
"The aftermath of Hurricane Irma has resulted in one of the
largest power outages our nation has ever experienced and
FirstEnergy personnel are glad to be able to help those
Florida customers in need," said
Steven Strah, senior vice president
and president of FirstEnergy Utilities. "Many of our linemen
have been to Florida in the past
to assist following other hurricanes, so they know firsthand the
challenging working conditions that they will be facing over the
next week as they safely restore power."
FirstEnergy will have personnel in place to continue to maintain
reliable operations for its customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, West Virginia and
Maryland, while also assisting
those in need in Florida.
FirstEnergy is a member of multiple electric utility
mutual-assistance groups that work cooperatively to restore service
to customers when a natural disaster causes large-scale power
outages. Mutual assistance allows utilities to pool their
resources to help restore power to customers faster. In the
past, FirstEnergy and its employees have been honored by the Edison
Electric Institute (EEI) with its "Emergency Assistance Award" for
the mutual assistance the company has provided during winter and
summer storms.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational
excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one
of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving
customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, West Virginia,
Maryland and New York. Visit FirstEnergy online at
www.firstenergycorp.com. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter
@FirstEnergyCorp.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.