Kentucky linemen heading down south following Hurricane Milton

LEXINGTON, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — Hurricane Milton plowed across Florida late Wednesday night, knocking out power for millions of customers.

Now, several linemen and utility companies are heading down south to help restore power.

“We’re not just going to talk the talk. So we’re there for them. We’re proud of our boys and it was just the right thing to do,” said Patty Teater, a commissioner for the City of Nicholasville.

“If we’re in a position to be able to help others, we’re going to do so, and we’ve done this many times where we respond to hurricane situations and other states, and it’s critical to help others,” added Daniel Lowry with Kentucky Utilities (KU).

KU sent 160 people to Florida on Oct. 8 to help with power restoration. But since they’ve added additional resources, that number is now up to 240. They’re staged about halfway between Tampa and Orlando.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS:

• Man walks into Lexington fire station with gunshot wound
• State board takes stance on how Kentucky should spend money on schools
• How a Clark County school is tackling bullying: ‘It’s a great day to make it a great day’

“There are a lot of downed lines. I mean, there are millions of people and customers without power in Florida right now; there are down lines, and there are broken poles. And so our crews will be part of the massive effort to get those restored,” said Lowry.

Likewise, the City of Nicholasville sent a crew of linemen down south to Bartow, Florida, as part of its mutual aid program, which enables immediate assistance where it’s needed.

“We’re fortunate to have our crews here at a position where we could afford to send the crew and they were eager to go, they wanted to go help. That’s what they do, they love that kind of work,” said Bob Amoto, director of public utilities for the City of Nicholasville.

Those they’ve helped have also shown their gratitude.

“They had a couple that came out and asked them where they were going to be sleeping and it was, you know, ‘I was going to stay in our trucks’ and the lady said, ‘Absolutely not, you will not.’ And had them meet her at an address where she and her husband had a trailer on a permanent site. And when they got there, after working 16 hours, she had a hot meal for them,” added Teater.

When the remnants of Hurricane Helene hit Lexington and left thousands without power, crews across the country came to help with restoration. Lowry said he’s grateful to be able to return the favor.

“It’s exceptionally important in our industry to be able to help each other, it enables us to have a lot more resources when they’re really needed,” added Lowry.

Right now they’re unsure how long their crews will be there, but are prepared to help however they can for as long as needed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.