State troopers among Pa. workers deployed to Fla.
Forty FirstEnergy line workers from the Commonwealth, including 18 from Western Pennsylvania and Butler County, are expected to arrive in Florida on Friday after Hurricane Milton left millions without power.
They join 54 state troopers and two civilian support staff who were deployed to assist disaster relief efforts in other capacities. It is the first out-of-state deployment of troopers for a natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy struck New Jersey and New York in 2012.
FirstEnergy is sending more than 580 line workers and personnel “to assist Florida Power & Light and Duke Energy with anticipated power restoration efforts following the storm,” according the company.
From Lake City, Florida Power & Light will direct crews where they are needed. Crews will work 16-hour days in hot, humid conditions, according to the company, until they are released.
If requested, FirstEnergy may send a second wave of employees in coming days.
Meanwhile, more than 100 workers from Pennsylvania who assisted in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene are heading home after two weeks in Augusta, Georgia, company spokesman Todd Meyers said.
FirstEnergy electric companies in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia are part of the mutual assistance effort, which includes crews from Ohio Edison, Toledo Edison and The Illuminating Company in Ohio; 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 in New Jersey.
In Florida, state troopers will help law enforcement in Florida in missions relating to safety and distribution of critical resources in the areas impacted, said a Thursday, Oct. 10, news release.
The state police deployment was facilitated through the nationwide Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which allows states to share critical resources when and where they’re needed most. The deployment is scheduled to last two weeks but may be extended or shortened depending on the operational need.
