Crews from Public Service Company of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Gas and Electric responded this week to prepare for the anticipated damage from Hurricane Helene as it hits the southeast U.S.
About 85 PSO workers left a few days ago to help Florida Power and Light. Teams from the company’s Tulsa, Lawton and McAlester Districts arrived Thursday to get their work assignments and locations. The contingent includes line crews, servicers, assessors, inspectors, fleet mechanics and other support personnel.
“PSO participates in mutual assistance agreements with other electricity providers across the country to help restore power safely and as quickly as possible during emergencies like Hurricane Helene,” said Dwayne Apple, PSO Distribution vice president.
“Our crews don’t hesitate to take time away from their families and travel to assist other utility companies. We know utility workers in other states will do the same to help us restore service to our customers if needed.”
He added there was no indication how long the crews will be needed in Florida.
Nearly 100 line restoration crew members from Oklahoma Gas and Electric left Thursday for Georgia to help with power restoration expected there.
Rain and damaging wind were expected in Georgia. A fleet of OG&E trucks left Shawnee Thursday and the workers were expected to arrive on Friday to give assistance to Georgia Power. The workers might stay up to 14 days. Other OG&E crews and restoration personnel will remain in place across the company’s service area in Oklahoma and western Arkansas to monitor and maintain service for customers.
“As Hurricane Helene makes landfall, our crews are preparing to help restore any power that is lost as quickly and safely possibly,” said Chad Guthrie, OG&E Director of Distribution Construction. “Thanks to our mutual assistance partnerships with electric companies across the nation, we are able to support our neighbors when storms, hurricanes and other disasters cause widespread damage and outages. It energizes our crews to be able to help out others impacted by natural disasters.”
“Our crews are ready to provide support and expertise to those impacted by Hurricane Helene,” said Andrea Dennis, OG&E Vice President of Transmission & Distribution Operations. “We understand the profound impact severe weather has on communities, and we are ready to help restore a critical resource: power. I’m grateful to our crews and restoration personnel who step up when communities need it most.”
OG&E’s last deployment for mutual assistance was two weeks ago in mid-September when teams helped with restoration efforts in Louisiana following widespread damage caused by Hurricane Francine.
