Assisting Florida After Hurricane Milton

As Floridians braced for Hurricane Milton and its predicted wake of destruction, Southern California Edison crews were mobilizing a mutual assistance response team.

Knowing what was to come, three utilities across Florida proactively sent out a call for help, requesting support from lineworkers nationwide and into Canada - SCE crews were part of 50,000 lineworkers who answered the call.

In the days leading up to the Category 5 hurricane, trucks were prepped, loaded onto big rigs and shipped more than 2,000 miles across the country. A few days later, they were met in Palm Coast by 71 SCE team members who volunteered to help restore power to the nearly 3 million Floridians the storm left without electricity.

"As IBEW Local 47, we're very prideful in our skill," said Rafael Gomez, SCE electrical crew foreman. "We do something not many people can do, so when people are in need, we want to give back. We're happy to be out here and making a difference."

Before sending mutual assistance resources, SCE analyzes the current conditions in its service area. After ensuring there are no current threats, the amount of resources available is determined.

In this case, the team of lineworkers, groundmen, mechanics and more will be on loan to Florida utilities as long as needed. While the number of personnel sent is small enough not to impact SCE operations, they can always get called home early in case of an emergency.

"One thing I really admire about our crews is how willing they are to help," said Rebecca Relyea, SCE Mutual Assistance coordinator. "No matter how big the ask is, I know we will meet the need."

Upon arrival, the crews were met with work orders from Florida Power & Light (FPL), including wires down, blown transformers and other equipment issues.

"The majority of our work has been troubleshooting," said Ontario Service Center District Manager Justin Parrett. "We identify what is broken and fix it on sight. We are coming across a lot of fallen trees that have taken out lines and a lot of thick foliage that can be hazardous."

For most of the SCE crews, Milton is not their first time lending a hand to a fellow utility, but for some, it is the farthest they've traveled. Working in unfamiliar terrain on circuits they are unaccustomed to, the crews are extra cautious.

"Over here, they have all sorts of things we aren't used to," Gomez said. "We've been warned about alligators and even snakes falling from trees. We definitely don't see that in Southern California."

While it may be new topography, SCE lineworkers have trained on California's diverse landscape and pride themselves on being highly versatile.

"We can go anywhere, anytime and be ready to assist," Parrett said. "We're proud of that."

In recent years, SCE has assisted with several emergency response efforts, lending a hand to PG&E and, more recently, Public Service Company of New Mexico, along with responding to local emergency repairs after wildfires ravaged Southern California communities. As extreme weather events increase in frequency, SCE is committed to continuing its mutual assistance and strengthening its partnership with surrounding utilities to share knowledge about resilience.

"The most important thing is getting the communities restored with power," Parrett said. "When we band together and provide assistance, it speaks volumes to the impact we can truly have."

For more information on how to prepare for specific emergencies, visit: Storm Safety Preparedness.