Oct 3, 2024, 8:59 AM CST
Western Wisconsin workers and volunteers are traveling to the southeast region to assist in the recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene.
According to a press release on Wednesday, Xcel Energy is sending a number of line workers from western Wisconsin to Augusta, Georgia to assist in restoring power to the area. The workers come from Eau Claire, Menomonie, Hudson, Amery, Rice Lake, La Crosse, and Sparta. About 15 workers from the region will join over 100 Xcel employees from across six states to assist on the ground.
Among the workers are operations leaders, safety consultants, fleet mechanics, and line workers. Officials expect the crews will be on the ground in Augusta for about two weeks.
Chairman, President and CEO of Xcel Energy Bob Frenzel said “The impacts on the electrical system in these areas is extensive and unparalleled for this region, and it will take the contribution of all of our nation’s utilities to restore power to these areas.”
In addition to the Xcel energy workers, Wisconsin chapters of the Red Cross have also sent a number of volunteers to various areas for assistance. In total, Wisconsin chapters of the Red Cross have sent about 40 volunteers to the region including a number from Western Wisconsin to assist with things like providing hot meals and health services.
Laura McGuire, the Regional Communications Manager for the Wisconsin Region of the Red Cross, told Civic Media their volunteers on the ground have seen once in a lifetime levels of devastation from the storm. She also noted that with an overall rise in climate disasters, the organization has seen an increase in the number of deployments for their volunteers.
“Nowadays it’s really a constant, disasters are happening so much more often and they’re so much more severe that our volunteers are really being asked to deploy on a daily basis,” said McGuire. “And one of the things that we really show and we really appreciate are these dedicated volunteers giving of themselves, walking away from their families to help others and we are so blessed and so grateful for all our volunteers and the work that they help us with.”
McGuire also shared a number of ways other Wisconsin residents can get involved in assisting the recovery efforts. In addition to volunteering their own time and monetary donations to support their efforts, the Red Cross is also looking for more blood donations.
McGuire says most of the deployed volunteers will likely be on the ground for about two weeks. Other volunteers could also be sent to the region as officials expect the recovery efforts will take a great deal of time.
