Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (PSO) workers who left the Sooner State late last month en route to Florida prior to the arrival of Hurricane Helene have moved north to help a sister company.
Approximately 85 PSO employees departed from Oklahoma on Sept. 25, headed to Florida to lend a hand to Florida Power and Light as Hurricane Helene was moving toward The Sunshine State.
The teams from PSO’s Tulsa, Lawton and McAlester districts arrived Sept. 26, then received their work assignments and locations. The contingent included line crews, servicers, assessors, inspectors, fleet mechanics and other support personnel.
By Oct. 1 the PSO crews had moved north, “assisting our sister company, Appalachian Power, in Virginia and Tennessee,” both of which also sustained damage from the hurricane, PSO spokesman Matt Rahn said.
“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.”
According to Apple, there is no definite timeframe for the PSO workers to remain out-of-state. He also said PSO’s ability to respond to customer needs in Oklahoma will not be affected by the mutual assistance effort.
Source: Southwest Ledger
