Crews Join DLC’s Largest Mutual Assistance Response in 20 Years Following Hurricanes

Following the aftermath of hurricanes Helene and Milton that hit the southeastern region of the U.S., 82 DLC crew members were deployed during the past few weeks to offer their support with storm restoration efforts, including clearing vegetation, replacing poles and installing transformers. This marked the company’s largest mutual assistance response in the past 20 years.

As of Wednesday, Oct. 16, crews are still deployed on Florida’s Gulf Coast to safely help Duke Energy restore power to those impacted by Hurricane Milton. Sixty-five crew members, including lineworkers, mechanics, safety representatives and other staff members, are stationed in St. Petersburg, Florida. An additional 17 underground crew and staff members are in the Clearwater region.

DLC crews have been on the road since Sept. 27 after initially assisting local utilities (primarily through LG&E and KU Energy and American Electric Power — Appalachian Power) restore service to residents in western Virginia after Hurricane Helene left significant damage throughout the Appalachian region.

“When we participate in these types of efforts, we’re not always working with the same equipment or voltages that we’re used to, which is why it’s imperative we have a heightened awareness for safety during restoration,” said Ben Cain, DLC's operations center director. “Given the severity of the storm damage, this was a great opportunity for us to provide vital support to other utilities in their time of need.”

DLC is part of an established mutual assistance group where neighboring electric utilities help one another with power restoration during major outage events.

A special thank you to our crews who have taken on the hazardous and heroic responsibility of supporting these crucial recovery efforts!