FirstEnergy Corp. utilities have sent 190 line workers and support personnel to Mobile, Alabama, to assist Alabama Power with restoration efforts following Hurricane Sally. Crews began leaving for Alabama on Sept. 17, with all expected to begin work on the morning of Sept. 19.
Hurricane Sally made landfall on Sept. 16 on the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 storm, with sustained winds of 100 mph. Heavy rain also led to flooding in many areas, with many roads and bridges closed or impassable.
This support effort continues FirstEnergy's tradition of assisting other electric companies during large-scale power outages. FirstEnergy crews recently returned home after providing power restoration assistance to utilities in Texas and Louisiana following Hurricane Laura in late August.
Nine of FirstEnergy's utilities are part of the Alabama mutual assistance effort, which includes crews from Ohio Edison and Toledo Edison in Ohio; Penelec, West Penn Power, 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. Support personnel from FirstEnergy's corporate offices are also included in the company's contingent.
"FirstEnergy employees are committed to assisting with restoration efforts in Alabama as a way of returning the favor to Alabama utility crews that provided assistance in August when we needed help in New Jersey after Tropical Storm Isaias," said John Skory, vice president of utility operations for FirstEnergy. "While it's not expected that the remnants of Hurricane Sally will impact any FirstEnergy service territories, we have carefully assessed conditions and are confident we have the personnel in place to maintain reliable 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. In August, more than 8000 utility personnel from 17 states, including crews from Alabama Power, helped restore power to approximately 788,000 JCP&L customers following Tropical Storm Isaias.
