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.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.