The Tennessee Valley is expected to be spared from most of the storms and damages from Hurricane Ian, but with 2.6 million homes and businesses losing power in Florida hundreds of local electrical line workers and repair crews have headed south to aid in the storm recovery.
Service Electric Co., a Chattanooga-based subsidiary of Quanta Services which has nearly 2,100 electrical workers servicing utilities across the region, dispatched 378 linemen and support workers earlier this week to Florida to be in place to aid in power restoration efforts for Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy and other utilities, cooperatives and municipal utilities in the Sunshine state.
"We anticipate sending another 100 or so workers as other areas determine their damages and needs," Jeff Hunt, vice president of transmission services for Service Electric, said in a telephone interview Thursday evening. "This is probably our biggest effort since Hurricane Michael in 2017 ( the first Category 5 hurricane on record to impact the Florida Panhandle)."
EPB and other utilities outside of the storm-damaged areas released many of their contract workers to head south to aid in installing new poles, restringing lines, repairing or replacing transformers and making other power recovery efforts.
Grant Carriker, EPB's manager of construction and preventative maintenance, said the Chattanooga utility has freed up much of its contract workforce from Service Electric and Davis H. Elliott companies to help with the storm recovery elsewhere.
"This is the amazing thing about our industry," Carrikeer said in a phone interview Thursday. "When people need help, utilities find a way to help out. We had help from contract crews and other utilities from all over the country when we were hit by tornadoes in 2020 and we're glad to try to help others in need right now."
Crews began moving south on Sunday and some crews could be gone for up to a month as they work to make all of the repairs needed following widespread flooding from storm surges and damages from winds of more than 100 miles per hour from the hurricane and later tropical storm that swept across Florida, Carriker said.
The Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, the Chattanooga-based trade group for the 153 local power companies that distribute TVA-generated power, said local municipalities and power cooperatives also sent their own employees to Florida to aid in the recovery. TVPPA spokeswoman Nathalie Strickland said the association serves as the mutual aid coordinator for the 60 Tennessee municipalities.
"Through the American Public Power Association's (APPA) mutual aid network we are currently coordinating the mutual aid response for our municipal partners throughout Florida and have already activated more than 50 Tennessee lineworkers to provide assistance to them," Strickland said.
Workers are coming from at least eight municipal utilities, including Cleveland Utilities, Tullahoma Utilities Authority, Cookeville Utilities, Greeneville Light & Power and Sevier County Electric in East Tennessee.
Erlanger Health System also dispatched its helicopters to the panhandle of Florida to aid in the evacuation and medical responses during and after the storm. The dispatch of the air ambulance with seven crew members marks the sixth consecutive year that Erlanger's Lifeforce helicopters have been deployed to assist with national hurricane disaster relief efforts.
"I am very proud of our team and their willingness to serve during this difficult time and provide much-needed medical services to our neighbors who were hit hard by the hurricane," Robbie Tester, the senior director of Lifeforce, said in a statement. "Our team never fails to respond when asked to support when disaster strikes."
Earlier this week, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee also authorized about 1,200 Tennessee National Guard soldiers and airmen to respond to Hurricane Ian.
The Guardsmen heading south are in Jackson's 194th Engineer Brigade will be the Task Force Headquarters element and units from both the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment and the 230th Sustainment Command. Three helicopters with the 1-230th Assault Helicopter Battalion are also scheduled to assist with recovery and debris removal.
"We have a tremendous amount of experience responding to natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes and we are ready to help the citizens of Florida," Major General Jeff Holmes said in a statement. "It is why we wear the uniform and once again it's the strength of the National Guard on display."
Florida and Tennessee have a pre-existing mutual support agreement already in place for just such an emergency.
Although few rain showers are forecast for Chattanooga this weekend, TVA said it is still taking precautions to ensure the least possible impact from any storm-related weather problems. TVA spokesman Scott Fiedler said TVA's operations team has been securing exterior items that may be affected by high winds within the potentially impacted area. The Transmission team has equipment and supplies available to quickly respond to potential downed lines.
"Right now, we are moving a lot of water across the region as we plan for heavy rainfall, Fielder said. "We need anyone who may be out on the river to use extreme caution around our dams."
TVA is trying to free up additional rainfall storage space in tributary reservoirs along the southeast and eastern side of the Tennessee River basin in the event of future storms, Fiedler said.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfrepress.com or at 423-757-6340.