Operational Excellence
October 10, 2024
Crews in Florida ready to respond to power outages from Hurricane Milton
Employees who assisted in Hurricane Helene power restoration on standby
After finishing power restoration efforts in Georgia following Hurricane Helene, Xcel Energy crews are stationed in Florida ready to respond to power outages from Hurricane Milton.
Over 100 employees made up of line workers, safety consultants, fleet mechanics and operations leaders from Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas are prepared to respond to power outages in the wake of Milton. Employees are assigned to support Tampa Electric Company and Duke Energy.
“This area of the country has been devasted by hurricane damage and we’re grateful to our crews and everyone who has worked tirelessly to restore power. We saw the importance of mutual aid in the wake of Hurricane Helene and are honored to show up once again.” said Bob Frenzel, chairman, president and CEO at Xcel Energy.
“Our employees are trained for this and it’s an honor for them to serve those in need at home and beyond,” said Ryan Long, president, Xcel Energy – Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota. “Our crews did a fantastic job cleaning up and restoring power after Hurricane Helene and know they will do the same for the people of Florida after Hurricane Milton.”
Last week, the company sent more than 100 Xcel Energy employees from Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas to Georgia where they restored power to roughly 2,000 customers, repaired five miles of power lines, fixed 50 broken poles, replaced 10 transformers and cleared debris from Hurricane Helene.
Xcel Energy is part of the Edison Electric Institute’s Mutual Assistance program. Following major storms that bring significant outages, electric companies use this program—a voluntary partnership of electric companies from across the country—to help speed restoration. For more about mutual assistance visit EEI.org