Written by NJUA News Staff
Published September 29, 2024
JCP&L Joins in Response to Hurricane Helene
HOLMDEL - As part of its long-standing tradition of assisting other electric companies during large-scale power outages, FirstEnergy Corp. electric companies have sent approximately 200 line workers and support personnel to assist Duke Energy Carolinas and Georgia Power with power restoration efforts following Hurricane Helene.
Crews began leaving last Wednesday for North Carolina and Georgia, arriving by early Saturday. Approximately 45 line workers and support personnel from Jersey Central Power & Light are included in that count.
Hurricane Helene made 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. JCP&L personnel were deployed to the most damaged areas, once deemed safe.
The mutual assistance effort also includes crews from Penn Power, Penelec, West Penn Power and Met-Ed in Pennsylvania; Mon Power in West Virginia and Potomac Edison in West Virginia and Maryland.
“Aiding communities in rebuilding their power grids after severe weather events is where their expertise shines," said Wade Smith, President of FirstEnergy Utilities. "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.