BERLIN, Connecticut — As Tropical storm Ida weakens, crews from Connecticut are headed south to assist in restoring power.
Millions of power outages expected in Louisiana following the storm, and Eversource is sending crews south to support what is expected to be a major power restoration effort.
Gov. Ned Lamont said, "It's part of mutual aid as part of all of our states working together, as we get hit by these weather events. What used to be 100 year storms are coming with increasing frequency."
Eversource CEO Joe Nolan said, "We've got over 200 Eversource crews that are heading down to Louisiana, we just talked to a couple of them and it's 1048 miles, these crews will go, they will drive through the night until they get to their destination."
Eversource line crews from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire and support personnel will be heading south to assist Entergy Louisiana with restoration.
A convoy of line workers and support personnel, equipment and trucks is expected to begin their trip to Louisiana Monday morning.
The Connecticut National Guard Major General Francis J. Evon, Jr. said, "We've got Chinook aircraft, heavy lift aircraft ready to deploy. They'll come in and in process today, once the storm rolls through, we'll get the green light with the governor's approval to move out and to get into the fight and start helping to save lives."
“The shoe is on the other foot,” said Nolan. “We are sending crews to help out our folks in Louisiana, we have over 200 resources that we are dispatching today, and I’m so proud of the team.”
More than 40 trucks are now en route to Louisiana, they hail from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and right here in Connecticut.
“These folks stepped up,” said Nolan. “These are all volunteers that chose to go down there, and help out our neighbors.”
The crews will be there to assist in restoration efforts, which officials say, could take an extensive amount of time.
“You’re not going to see the traditional wire down or trees down,” said Nolan. “This is a complete rebuild of an infrastructure down there.”
And these crews, will be there through it all.
“It’ll be a month down there for these folks,” said Nolan. “So, it’s very very devastating.”
Connecticut is now one of 26 states going to Louisiana to provide aide, and it’s a job that these crews take pride in.
“I want to to help honestly,” said John Pettway a lineman for Eversource. “This is what you get paid to do, to put the lights back on.”
But it is far from easy work.
“You think about your house, you got a home, you have power right now, your family is there,” said Pettway. “But you look at these people, they have nothing, they just lost everything.”
And while there’s more than just power that needs to be fixed, sometimes, it starts with the flip of a switch.
“When you give them power,” said Pettway. “You give them some type of hope.”
And as for those waiting and wondering, when will help arrive?
“You got Eversource on the way,” said Pettaway.
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