AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy
Corp.'s (NYSE: FE) utilities will send additional employees from
Maryland and Pennsylvania to assist with power restoration
in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, which has disrupted electric
service to more than 1.5 million customers across the
southeast.
More than 250 FirstEnergy line workers and support personnel are
now involved in the effort, including approximately 125 employees
sent earlier this week from Ohio
and West Virginia. In addition, the company has released more
than 175 contractor employees to assist with restoration
work.
FirstEnergy's crews are initially scheduled to assist Georgia
Power in Georgia and Dominion
Energy in Virginia with
restoration efforts, which will include assessing damage, replacing
broken poles, stringing new wires and replacing other equipment as
needed to restore power. These efforts also include special
hazards like blocked roads, localized flooding and wildlife hazards
that are difficult to predict ahead of time.
"Just as out-of-state utilities assist us when major storms
impact our customers, FirstEnergy is committed to sending our crews
to other states to help massive power restoration efforts," said
Samuel L. Belcher, senior vice
president and president of FirstEnergy Utilities. "We
understand that power outages complicate customers' ability to
recover from the extensive storm impacts, and all the crews are
focused on working together to restore electric service safely
and as efficiently as possible."
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.
Editor's Note: A video discussing the work crews will do
to assist with power restoration is available on
YouTube.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.