Linemen bound for Fla. to restore power lost after Hurricane Irma // Chuck Lafoon hands supplies to Justin Carmichael as the two Dominion Energy linemen load a bucket truck at the company’s operations center at 7500 W. Broad St. before heading to Florida to help restore power lost after Hurricane Irma blew through.
They are among 120 Dominion employees, including safety experts, damage assessors and others, deployed Tuesday to the Sunshine State to help rebuild the power grid from Miami to Jacksonville that the powerful storm destroyed, leaving millions of people in the dark.
Dominion also has sent 700 employees of private tree contractors it uses in Virginia and North Carolina to help remove downed trees that took out power lines.
The company also is sending drones and helicopters to provide crews with aerial feedback about conditions they will face on the ground.
This is just one way that Central Virginia is responding to help in the wake of hurricanes Harvey and Irma that struck Texas, Florida and several other Southern states. Everything from money to bottled water has flowed to distressed areas, while many people and rescued pets have found temporary refuge in Virginia.
Dominion’s response is evidence of the mutual assistance pact among electric utilities that ensures outside help when a member like Florida Power & Light is overwhelmed by a storm. Florida and other states have provided similar help to Dominion after storms have knocked out power to huge swaths of the Virginia company’s grid in recent years.
“We are proud of the willingness of our employees and contractors to leave their families and friends to work long days providing desperately needed help,” said Ed Baine, Dominion Energy’s senior vice president for power delivery.
Mr. Carmichael said he and his colleagues expect to be away at least two weeks. He said linemen are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to emergencies, and this is just the latest to come up.
“We know how important our work is and how much people are depending on us at this time to get their power back on,” he said.
