Pacific Power crews from across Northwest, including Bend, deploy to Georgia for Hurricane Helene response
PORTLAND, Ore. (KTVZ) — In response to a mutual assistance request from Georgia Power, Pacific Power is sending crews, support personnel and equipment from Medford, Bend, Roseburg, Astoria and Grants Pass in Oregon and Walla Walla and Yakima in Washington to aid in power restoration efforts following the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Helene.
The Category 4 storm, with sustained winds reaching 140 miles per hour, impacted 10 states, with the National Hurricane Center reporting that its effects extended as far as 400 miles from its landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region.
These teams, totaling 22 Pacific Power employees, will be equipped with 20 trucks and associated heavy equipment to help restore power to impacted communities. Rocky Mountain Power, Pacific Power’s sister company, is also deploying four additional crews to aid in the response.
"Our crews are fully prepared and ready to respond as they work tirelessly through the deployment to restore power to customers in Georgia and to support our fellow line-crews across the affected states," said Tom Eide, vice president of operations at Pacific Power. "Disasters can happen anywhere, and part of being a good neighbor is answering the call to help.”
Pacific Power is part of a nationwide network of utilities that provide mutual assistance during emergencies and disasters.
According to the Edison Electric Institute, approximately 50,000 electric utility workers from 40 states, the District of Columbia and Canada are currently responding to the devastation left in Hurricane Helene’s wake.
While power has been restored to 4.69 million of the 6 million customers affected, some areas have experienced such extreme infrastructure damage that a complete rebuild is required.
For more information on Pacific Power’s involvement in the recovery efforts, please follow us on social media.
About Pacific Power
Pacific Power provides safe and reliable electric service to more than 800,000 customers in Oregon, Washington and California. The company supplies customers with electricity from a diverse portfolio of generating plants including hydroelectric, natural gas, coal, wind, geothermal and solar resources. Pacific Power is part of PacifiCorp, one of the lowest-cost electricity producers in the United States, with 2 million customers in six western states. For more information, visit PacificPower.net.
