Xcel Energy: Stages crews in Florida to respond to power outages after Hurricane Milton

EAU CLAIRE, Wis.  (Oct. 10, 2024) – Xcel Energy has employees in Florida ready to respond to power outages from Hurricane Milton after finishing power restoration efforts in Georgia following Hurricane Helene. 

Over 100 employees made up of line workers, safety consultants, fleet mechanics and operations leaders from Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas are prepared to respond to power outages in the wake of Milton. Employees are assigned to support Tampa Electric Company and Duke Energy.

Crews from Eau Claire, Menomonie, Hudson, Amery, Rice Lake, La Crosse, Sparta, Manitowish Waters and Ironwood, Mich. are currently staged in Fort Walton Beach, Florida awaiting assignment in the Tampa area. A total of about 15 line workers are part of the effort.

“This area of the country has been devasted by hurricane damage and we’re grateful to our crews and everyone who has worked tirelessly to restore power. We saw the importance of mutual aid in the wake of Hurricane Helene and are honored to show up once again.” said Bob Frenzel, chairman, president and CEO at Xcel Energy.

“I am incredibly proud of our crews for their outstanding efforts in restoring essential services in Georgia,” said Karl Hoesly, President of Xcel Energy Wisconsin/Michigan. “They have worked diligently and safely under challenging conditions and are ready to extend their support to those in need in Florida.”

Last week, the company sent these crews to Georgia where they restored power to roughly 2,000 customers, repaired five miles of power lines, fixed 50 broken poles, replaced 10 transformers and cleared debris from Hurricane Helene.

Xcel Energy is part of the Edison Electric Institute’s Mutual Assistance program. Following major storms that bring significant outages, electric companies use this program—a voluntary partnership of electric companies from across the country—to help speed restoration. For more about mutual assistance visit EEI.org.