‘Everyone wants to help’: Michigan power crews headed to Florida

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Line workers from five local utilities have crews staged in Orlando, Florida, with two more Michigan municipalities on the way to help deal with electricity fallout following Hurricane Milton.

Thirty-six workers hit the road from Michigan in all this week. The long reach of the mutual aid calls reflects the potential severity of the storm and the state of relief resources closer by.

“You can’t call someone from Georgia or North Carolina when they are still trying to clean up their mess,” Robert Shelley, General Manager of Grand Haven Board of Light and Power, told News 8. “So, you have to leapfrog and say, ‘Where can I get the help?’”

“I was surprised and our national coordinator, who works out of Michigan, was surprised when we got the call for this storm,” Executive Director of Michigan Municipal Electric Association Katie Abraham added. “We had crews ready and willing to respond for the last storm, but we were not called into Florida. They are expecting a really bad storm.”

Workers from Grand Haven BLP truck-pooled to Florida early this week with crews from Holland, Zeeland, Niles and Sturgis. Traverse City and Lansing workers are en-route as well, hoping to arrive Friday.

“These guys volunteered,” Shelley said. “We asked, and we actually had to limit the number we could send because everyone wants to be a part of this.”

The local response is coordinated by the Michigan Municipal Electric Association and its partnership with a similar, national body. The organization maintains a framework of agreements to help each other in-state and around the country.

“It’s really what we are founded on,” Abraham said. “Helping our brothers and sister in need. They are facing a really difficult time. So, it’s just incredible to see all of the utilities come together. They don’t even blink.”

The heartfelt mission, though, comes with serious hazards.

“You’re in an unknown area,” Shelley said. “A lot of times it’s in bad weather conditions. Flooding, maybe you can’t see. So, it’s a very dangerous job but it’s a very fulfilling job as well.”

“It’s one of the most difficult aspects of the job, but also the most rewarding,” Abraham said. “These people are putting their lives at risk to help people in need.”

Abraham told News 8 that the 36 workers already dispatched to Florida could stay up to two weeks. If there is still more work to be done, they will tag-out with more local crews.

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