We Energies crews in Florida are helping in massive effort to restore power after Hurricane Milton

Crews from We Energies are continuing their work in Florida to help the hundreds of thousands of people who are still without power after Hurricane Milton. The 25 workers arrived on Friday, Oct. 11 and have been working long hours to repair damage to the power grid.

The work setting is unique — with snakes, palm trees and hot October weather — but the focus remains the same. Crews are clearing trees, replacing damaged poles and restringing power lines. They are part of an army of tens of thousands of workers from across the country focused on getting the lights back on.

“The damage is so widespread we will go all day and won’t see another company until we get back to the community college where we are all staying,” said Nate Schkeryantz, a We Energies operations manager who is part of the group in Florida.

We Energies crews have been working in northern parts of Tampa where, nearly a week after the hurricane, they are still seeing flooded roads and trees blocking access. They say they know how important the work they are doing is to help people without power.

“We’re keeping busy with the work that we’re doing. I had two customers walk past a short time ago, and they’re nothing but cheers and thank you to us. I think that’s the motivator for these employees, it’s keeping them going.”

We Energies’ sister utility, Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), also has workers in Tampa working on power restoration efforts.

Crews do not know yet how long they will be in Florida, but as long as they are needed, they will stay.

“Everybody is missing their families back home but we’re doing this for the people down here. We’re motivated by seeing the excitement from the customers,” Schkeryantz said.

We Energies and WPS are experienced at helping with hurricane restoration efforts. Both companies helped restore power in Puerto Rico following the devastation from Hurricane Maria in 2017. Both companies also assisted in restoring power in Georgia and Florida after Hurricane Irma, and last year they sent crews to help restore power after extreme weather in California.