Powering through: Virginia Dominion Energy workers aid Milton recovery efforts in Florida

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia’s Dominion Energy is joining the list of local organizations deploying workers to help victims of recent hurricanes.

“Mutual aid is a critical thing for any utility provider when they’re in a severe weather event,” said Dominion Energy spokesperson Craig Carper.

Carper said that 300 Dominion Energy workers from Central Virginia are still deployed across North and South Carolina, working to restore power lost in the aftermath of Helene.

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida just weeks after Helene did. An additional 400 employees were dispatched to Florida this past Wednesday, Carper said.

“A lot of these storms leave a lot of devastation — a lot of downed heavy trees, heavy limbs that need to be removed, before the actual restoration work can begin,” Carper said.

According to Carper, this is why both line workers and contractors were sent: contractors need to clean before power can begin to be fixed.

More than two million residents lost power during the storm, according to ABC News .

“We take for granted electricity when we have it,” Carper said. “We rely on it for everything.”

Though Dominion does not operate in Florida, its commitment to assist neighboring states showcases the strength of community support during crises.

“We’ve been beneficiaries of mutual aid and storms in the past,” Carper said. “We’ve had a lot of devastating storms here in Virginia.”

The decision to deploy Virginia workers to other states isn’t taken lightly, especially considering the potential for severe weather at home.

“We have to pay close attention to the path of the storm before we are able to release crews to assist in situations like this,” Carter said.

As Dominion Energy continues to assess the situation in Florida, Carter said the company is unsure when its workers will return to the Commonwealth.

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