LES sends crews to Georgia as Hurricane Helene prepares to make landfall

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Lincoln Electric System deployed crews Wednesday to help with power restoration efforts in Georgia ahead of Hurricane Helene.

Two LES crews, consisting of 12 employees, are headed to Albany, Georgia, as Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall Thursday. LES is sending two bucket trucks, two digger derricks, three pickups, two trailers, and a mechanics truck.

Additionally, six employees from Grand Island are traveling with LES to aid in restoration efforts. The crews are expected to arrive in Georgia by Thursday evening.

In preparation, utilities in the storm’s path are prestaging restoration workers and equipment and coordinating response efforts with their state and local officials.

“We learned firsthand all the difference mutual aid support can make when we dealt with the aftermath of the July 31 storm in Lincoln, our first call for mutual aid support in nine years,” Paul Crist, LES vice president of Energy Delivery, said. “Power restoration is demanding and stretches resources thin, and LES is proud to return the support to another community in need.”

The American Public Power Association helped coordinate the assistance effort. LES is a member of the APPA’s mutual aid network and is reimbursed for all costs of deploying resources to assist other utilities.

LES most recently supported restoration efforts in Omaha in the wake of the July 31 storm, which caused the largest power outage in Omaha’s history.

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