TECO workers head to Georgia to help restore power after Hurricane Helene

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Published  October 2, 2024 5:48am EDT
FOX 13 News
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TECO helping restore power in Georgia

More than 100 workers with Tampa Electric are headed to Georgia, where hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses remain without power after Hurricane Helene.

TAMPA, Fla. - With local restoration efforts complete, Tampa Electric sent 115 people to Georgia on Wednesday to help restore power after Hurricane Helene.

According to the utility, about 115 Tampa Electric line workers, contractors and other support personnel left at dawn today for the six-hour drive to the Savannah, Ga., area to help utility Georgia Power restore electricity after Helene. Crews are prepared to stay for as long as two weeks.

Hurricane Helene brought rain, high winds and unprecedented flooding, causing historic devastation in five southern states. Millions of people remain without power, and officials say rebuilding will be a long, difficult process.

Parts of Georgia were hit hard by Hurricane Helene.

The highest concentration of power outages remain in areas such as Augusta, Valdosta, Savannah, and surrounding communities.

READ: Coastal Bay Area residents worry they could lose homes if power isn't restored soon

"In many cases, the damage to infrastructure is so severe that teams are essentially rebuilding parts of the grid and not just repairing specific elements," the utility said in a late Tuesday news release.

"While crews continue to face hurdles such as impassable roads, cellular and communications issues, and tree damage, progress is being made in the hardest hit areas with thousands of customers being restored in and around Augusta, Savannah, Valdosta and elsewhere. While damage and treacherous conditions remain, teams are working around the clock and will remain in the field until every customer who can accept power is restored."

Damage estimates illustrating the extensive destruction of Hurricane Helene in Georgia include:

  • 8,000+ power poles that must be repaired or replaced
  • 21,000+ spans of wire equivalent to more than 700 miles
  • 1,500+ transformers
  • 3,200+ trees on power lines that must be removed or addressed to restore power

Tampa Electric is a member of the Southeastern Electric Exchange, or SEE, which is a network of utilities that pledge mutual assistance in case of a storm or other emergency. Crews supporting the restoration efforts of other utilities are paid by host utility provider Georgia Power.

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