Crews leave for Puerto Rico restoration mission
PPL Electric Utilities employees packed their hard hats and work boots and boarded a flight to Puerto Rico Thursday (1/25), the first leg of their month-long journey to help restore power on the hurricane-battered island.
The line workers and support personnel from throughout our service territory will join a small army of utility workers from other companies around the country. Their goal: To help turn the lights back on for an estimated 1.2 million people who have been without power since September. (Shown above: Journeyman Lineman Jason Roberts says goodbye to his wife and sons before heading to Puerto Rico.)
The employees, all volunteers, have signed on for 30 days. Afterward, they will rotate home and, if needed, will be replaced by another group.
“This is a massive power restoration effort all converging on the island,” said field manager Chris Gonzalez, 42, of Stroudsburg, who will lead our team. “We’re eager to do our part to help the people who have suffered for so long.”
Gonzalez (pictured at right), who has family roots in Puerto Rico, noted that many of those on the PPL team are leaving their families behind for an extended trip to work under very difficult conditions in the island’s mountains. He said the group is up for the challenge.
“This is what line workers do,” he said. “It’s what makes us tick. We know it’s difficult to be without power, and that people are depending on us to help fix that.”
Twenty-five PPL line trucks and other vehicles were shipped to Puerto Rico from two ports – Norfolk, Va., and Lake Charles, La.
Our planners and logistics specialists have worked for the past month — including straight through the December holiday period – to accomplish the move and arrange all the details needed to transfer 37 people and tons of equipment to a place not accessible by land. (Thirty-two people flew to Puerto Rico Thursday. Five others went there a few days earlier to scout the damage and plan the work.)
We are one of 18 electric utilities from around the nation sending crews in an effort being coordinated by the Edison Electric Institute, an industry trade group.
Sending repair crews to hard-hit areas in other parts of the country is a normal part of utility mutual aid, which also benefits PPL customers after damaging storms here at home. There are plenty of line repair personnel staying behind to handle any outages in our territory.
“The credit really goes to this team of people who are willing to drop everything and be away from their families for a month straight,” said Gonzalez. “People in Puerto Rico need us, and we’re going to be there for them.”
Awesome! People who actually care about people. Thank you volunteers and PPL!
That is a wonderful thing you are doing, PPL workers! God Bless You!
It is really nice to hear that many people care about others and are willing to sacrifice their family to be somewhere else to help others! Great news and Thank you for your service! Go restore our beautiful Island and don’t forget to take a break and enjoy the beautiful places our Island of Puerto Rico has!!
Thank you for help my people in Puerto Rico , God bless you PPL
Just want to thank all the volunteer’s that are going to Puerto Rico. My father lives in Bayamon and he’s a diabetic. My brothers and sisters have to send money so he can run his generator so he can put his medication in the refrigerator. Thank you so much for everything you do. God Bless you all.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Puerto Rico needs all the help they can get and it is admirable that so many workers have volunteered to work under extremely difficult conditions to restore power throughout the island. God bless all of you!
What an amazing thing! Beautiful…to give of your knowledge and expertise to so many who are in desperate need of it.
That’s awesome PP&L! Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
Thank You PPL workers …God Bless you All😊