As Hurricane Helene bears down on much of the Gulf Coast, thousands of linemen from Alabama have traveled en masse to the state of Florida ahead of expected large-scale power outages to offer their services. The linemen are with Alabama W2 Energy Services International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 443.
Casey Shelton, an IBEW official, said the brave workers are “salt of the earth.”
“The men and women that serve Alabama Power customers take great pride and responsibility in serving the people of our State. They have one of the highest response rates to outages in the nation,” Shelton said. “During times of catastrophic weather events or a routine day, these men and women perform at the highest level. Our priority is always here at home but many times we leave our families to help others as many of us do in the trade. Lineworkers must constantly remain focused at all times performing this dangerous work safely.”
“I for one feel grateful to have these professional men and women keeping my lights on.”
James Spann also shared word of the heroic crews far and wide on Thursday:
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed over 1,500 workers to affected areas and has already assisted with 400 rescues. More than 4 million homes and businesses are without power in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina per poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.
As of 1:30 p.m., Hurricane Helene has already killed at least thirty in four states.
The storm reportedly had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph when it made landfall late Thursday in Florida’s rural Big Bend area. Massive flooding from Helene has reached as far as Ashville, North Carolina.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
