City Crews Provide Mutual Aid to U.S. Virgin Islands
November 21, 2017
Following one of the top five most intense hurricane seasons ever recorded, islands in the Caribbean are struggling to recover. To help with ongoing restoration efforts, the City of Tallahassee will send a team of 11 employees from the Electric Utility and Fleet departments to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The team, which left Tallahassee today, Nov. 21, will be dispatched to St. Croix to help restore the decimated electric grid. The team will join crews from Ocala, Ft. Pierce and Homestead as part of a mutual aid agreement coordinated under the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA).
“Our Tallahassee crews are second to none; they are a dedicated, knowledgeable group of professionals who are anxious to help our fellow Americans in their time of need,” Mayor Andrew Gillum. “We trust that our crews will bring the same level of excellence to their work in the U.S. Virgin Islands that they do day-in and day-out for our community.”
According to the U.S. Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (WAPA), electricity has been restored to roughly 17-45 percent of customers depending on the island. St. Croix currently has the most customers without power. The crew will be on the ground in St. Croix for an extended period of time, leaving their friends and family back in Tallahassee for the holiday season. WAPA is coordinating logistics for this deployment.
For more information about the City of Tallahassee, visit Talgov.com.
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