Harvey Response: More Than 10,000 Workers Are Dedicated to Restoring Power

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Aug 29, 2017, 20:05 ET

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tropical Storm Harvey remains a very serious and dangerous storm. Life-threatening flooding continues in southeastern Texas and is now spreading to parts of southwestern Louisiana. As of 7:30 p.m. EDT, approximately 264,000 are without power in the affected areas.

"As Harvey continues to impact communities in Texas and Louisiana, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is being affected by this storm," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "In those areas where flooding is ongoing and catastrophic, search and rescue and life safety clearly are the priorities right now."

Progress is being made to restore power in some areas where damage assessments are complete and flooding is not an issue. Crews are working around the clock and will continue to work until everyone who is able to receive power is restored. "While customers may not see electric company personnel in their neighborhoods, the energy grid is heavily interconnected and crews are working throughout the system to bring power back on quickly and safely when and where conditions are safe to do so," said Kuhn.

At this point, more than 10,000 workers are dedicated to the Harvey response and recovery effort. This includes crews, lineworkers, and support personnel from the impacted companies and mutual assistance crews from at least 20 states across the country. Additional resources are ready to mobilize to assist if needed to further support restoration.

"Responding to major events like Harvey requires significant coordination among many public and private sectors," said Kuhn. "For example, there are interdependencies among the energy, communications, supply chain, transportation, and water and wastewater sectors. Strong industry-government coordination is critical."

Restoration crews are working around the clock and will continue to work until everyone who is able to receive power is restored. Some customers may not be able to receive power to their homes or businesses because of damage. Customers may need to contact a licensed electrician before power can be restored.

EEI's Storm Center includes a map to company outage centers, as well as real-time information and updates on response and restoration progress. The Storm Center also includes storm safety tips, flood safety tips, and an overview of the response and restoration process. EEI's storm response team is available to answer any questions that reporters may have about mutual assistance and the restoration process. The latest updates from EEI can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for 220 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 60 international electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members. Organized in 1933, EEI provides public policy leadership, strategic business intelligence, and essential conferences and forums.

SOURCE Edison Electric Institute