AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — As part of its long-standing tradition of assisting other electric companies during large-scale power outages, FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) electric companies have sent approximately 200 line workers and support personnel to assist Duke Energy Carolinas and Georgia Power with anticipated power restoration efforts following Hurricane Helene. Crews began leaving Wednesday morning for North Carolina and Georgia, with all expected to arrive by early Saturday.
Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday evening, bringing extreme winds, storm surge and flash flooding along the entire west coast of the Florida Peninsula and Florida’s Big Bend region. Tropical storm warnings cover almost all of Florida and Georgia not covered by hurricane warnings as well as all of South Carolina and much of western North Carolina. FirstEnergy personnel will be deployed to the most damaged areas when it’s safe to do so after the storm moves through.
FirstEnergy electric companies in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia are part of the mutual assistance effort, which includes crews from Penn Power, Penelec, 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 (JCP&L) in New Jersey.
Wade Smith, President of FirstEnergy Utilities: “FirstEnergy employees are committed to supporting the anticipated large-scale power restoration efforts along the U.S. southeast coast. Aiding communities in rebuilding their power grids after severe weather events is where their expertise shines. Although Hurricane Helene is not projected to significantly impact any FirstEnergy service territories, we have thoroughly evaluated the conditions and have the necessary personnel in place to support consistent operations for our customers.”
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. FirstEnergy and its employees have been honored more than a dozen times 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 integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 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. The company’s transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com. Follow FirstEnergy on X: @FirstEnergyCorp.
SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.