Area electric utilities assist in power restoration efforts in Southeast U.S.

Electric utilities serving northwestern Pennsylvania have been assisting in restoring power to areas impacted by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

Both Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative Association Inc. of Cambridge Springs (REC), a 20,000-member-owned electric cooperative, and FirstEnergy Corp., the parent company of Pennsylvania Electric Co. and Penn Power, have sent crews into the Southeastern U.S.

On Sept. 26, a Northwestern REC crew was sent to Palmetto, Georgia, to assist Coweta-Fayette EMC (Electric Membership Corp.) in the wake of Helene.

A second Northwestern REC crew was sent to North Carolina on Sept. 27 to aid Energy United EMC, while on Oct. 2 a third crew was sent to South Carolina to aid Broad River Electric in its recovery effort.

Crews have reported widespread, catastrophic devastation across the region due to Helene. Crews have traveled wherever needed to assist in the efforts.

Northwestern REC crews are returning from North Carolina and South Carolina, though another crew remains in Satilla, Georgia, still assisting with recovery efforts, according to Emily Sonntag, spokeswoman for the cooperative.

FirstEnergy Corp., based in Akron, Ohio, has sent more than 580 line workers and support personnel from its 10 affiliated firms to assist Florida Power & Light and Duke Energy with power restoration efforts.

There were 430 crew members initially were sent to the Carolinas and Georgia. About 330 of FirstEnergy's initial crew members have been released to return home. There are 100 of the initial crew member plus a new round of 150 personnel sent onto Florida to assist in ongoing power restoration efforts in the wake of Milton.