Utility workers from across the country streamed into Florida this week to help restore power to the millions left in the dark in the wake of Hurricane Milton.
Dozens of those workers came from Wisconsin as several of the state’s biggest electric utilities and many of its smaller ones responded to requests for assistance from their Floridian counterparts.
We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service each sent roughly 25 workers from service centers in Racine and Green Bay, respectively. Another 100 contract workers sent to repair the damage caused two weeks ago by Hurricane Helene also stayed in the South in anticipation of the next hurricane.
“There’s no shortage of volunteers,” Chad Ellis, a line electrician for Wisconsin Public Service, said in a statement. “When something like this comes up, there’s always a waiting list of guys that want to go.”
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Xcel Energy — which had about 100 employees from Wisconsin and six other states in Georgia due to Hurricane Helene — redirected its crews to Florida to respond to Hurricane Milton.
About a quarter of the members of Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin, the state association for community-owned electric companies, mustered a combined 47 workers, who left from near Beloit on Wednesday morning. The crews were drawn from at least 22 different communities, including Sun Prairie and Stoughton.
“We are thankful that so many of our member utilities stepped up to provide resources and showcase the skills and dedication of Wisconsin lineworkers during an emergency situation like this,” Tim Heinrich, the association’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
Madison Gas and Electric has not received any requests for assistance, while Alliant Energy is still determining whether its involvement will be needed, utility spokespeople said Thursday. Both utilities sent crews in late September to states hit hard by Hurricane Helene.