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.
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.
