The Xcel Energy employees who departed Amarillo for Florida Sunday morning to assist with Hurricane Irma power restoration arrived outside of Tampa, Fla., late Tuesday and started restoration work on Wednesday afternoon.
Their trip was slowed at times by the heavy volume of traffic on the roads, and also by numerous public accidents along the way. The Xcel Energy convoy was not involved in any of these accidents, and all employees arrived safely at their destination. Currently they are restoring customers in Brandon, Fla., which is served by Tampa Electric.
Xcel Energy’s supervisory team traveling with the crews reports high levels of heat and humidity, but the employees are taking appropriate measures to stay hydrated and cool while they acclimate. Customers in that area have expressed their appreciation by bringing Gatorade and food to the crews as they work.
“Our employees are proud to be taking part in this historic effort, and we are deeply proud of them and grateful for their service,” said Brad Baldridge, senior director of Distribution Operations for Xcel Energy in Texas and New Mexico.
The 36-member team that deployed from Amarillo is part of a larger Xcel Energy effort involving close to 200 employees and another 200 contractors who work for Xcel Energy across an eight-state service area that takes in portions of Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.
(Press release from Xcel Energy)
