In anticipation of widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Helene, FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) has mobilised approximately 200 line workers and support personnel to assist Duke Energy Carolinas and Georgia Power in North Carolina and Georgia. The crews began departing on Wednesday morning, with all personnel expected to arrive by early Saturday.
Hurricane Helene is projected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday evening, bringing extreme winds, storm surge, and flash flooding across the west coast of Florida and the Big Bend region. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for nearly all of Florida, Georgia, as well as South Carolina and much of western North Carolina. The FirstEnergy personnel will deploy to the most damaged areas as soon as it is deemed safe.
The mobilization effort involves FirstEnergy electric companies from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and West Virginia. Participating crews include those 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, expressed the company’s commitment to aiding communities during significant weather events. 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,” Smith said. He also reassured customers that FirstEnergy has taken steps to ensure consistent operations across its own service territories, even though Hurricane Helene is not projected to significantly impact those areas.
FirstEnergy is a member of several mutual assistance groups that facilitate collaboration between electric utilities during natural disasters. These partnerships enable utilities to pool resources, which results in faster power restoration for affected customers. Over the years, FirstEnergy and its employees have been recognized numerous times by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) with its “Emergency Assistance Award” for their efforts in supporting power restoration during severe winter and summer storms.
The company’s ongoing dedication to integrity, safety, reliability, and operational excellence ensures that its crews are well-equipped to respond to significant weather events like Hurricane Helene. FirstEnergy’s electric distribution companies form one of the largest investor-owned electric systems in the country, serving customers across Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, and New York. Their transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines connecting the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.
