BRISTOL, Tenn. — Dozens of people are dead and hundreds more are unaccounted for in the wake of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Helene.
Millions of people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida are still without electricity, water and connection to the outside world.
People are in shelters. Towns and homes have been wiped out.
Such is the toll of the storm that swept through just a few days ago.
In the meantime, local utility companies traveled several hundred miles to help make life a little more civilized for residents of the devastated region.
Huntsville Utilities and Russsellville Electric Board crews have been in Bristol, Tenn., since early Saturday helping restore power to that area of northeast Tennessee.
According to Huntsville Utilities, there are still about 700 Bristol Tennessee Essential Services customers without power; there were about 900 Monday morning.
“While that may not sound like a lot, it is a very rural area and due to the damage, a lot of places are difficult to get to, especially with large bucket trucks and such,” said Todd Long of Huntsville Utilities. “So it’s slow going. BTES is telling some of their customers not to expect power until Sunday.
“We do not know for sure when our guys will be coming back. Yesterday, they said they expected to be there ‘most of the week,’ but there are also crews there from Jackson (Tenn.) Energy Authority and Russellville Utilities, so hopefully they will be home sooner rather than later.”
Decatur Utilities sent six crew members from its Electric Operations work group to Westminster, S.C., where they have worked for the past three days helping the small utility system rebuild its infrastructure and restore service. Once they are finished in Westminster, crews will head to Easley, S.C., to assist with restoration in that area.
An Athens Utilities electric crew is in Erwin, Tenn., where the flooding left dozens of people missing or dead and a hospital staff and patients had to be rescued from the roof of the Unicoi County Hospital. Athens was responding to a mutual aid request from Erwin Utilities.
Athens Utilities Electric Department Manager Blair Davis said a six-man line crew was sent with a digger derrick, bucket truck and flatbed truck.
According to an Erwin Utilities’ Facebook post, it expects power to be restored to customers outside the flood area by Wednesday, however the utility could not give an estimate on restoring power within the immediate flood area, according to Holly Holman with the City of Athens.
“The National Guard is assisting with debris removal,” she said. “Our community has received mutual aid several times after storm events, and this is one way we can pay back that kindness.
“Our thoughts and prayers continue with our crew and those impacted by the hurricane.”
MDEC is assisting Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative in Pickens, S.C. Progress is slowly being made daily and Palmetto Electric Cooperative has been able to get more crews in to help with the restoration. They have been joined by a member of the Alabama Rural Electric Association‘s safety team to make sure everyone gets back home safe and healthy.
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