‘A swampy mess’: LES crews in Georgia describe Helene’s destruction

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – As millions are still without power from Hurricane Helene, Nebraska crews are helping restore power.

Lincoln Electric System sent 12 people down to Washington, Georgia.

Tyler Baker is part of the crew helping to fix power lines. He said crews are working for hours on end.

“They’re fixing stuff,” Baker said. “And the second they get that fixed, they’re bouncing to the next one and they’re bouncing to the next one.”

LES crews took pictures to show the devastation they’re encountering.

Baker said many residents he’s talked to say they’ve never seen anything like it.

“People that have lived here their whole lives, they said this is the worst damage they’ve ever seen to the town and just can’t believe that it happened,” he said.

When they arrived, he said it was strange to see how much destruction was left behind.

“It’s weird to drive through a town and see it completely dark,” Baker said. “I mean, nothing. There wasn’t a speck of light anywhere you looked.”

Line workers are up in the air for 16 hours or more per day, trying to salvage what’s left of the town’s power lines.

“They had 13 inches of rain. It’s muddy down here,” he said. “Getting around has been not terrible — it’s actually been great. But we’ve been in town. Once we get outside of town on some of those lines that we feed, it’s a swampy mess.”

Through it all, Baker said the people they’re helping have been incredibly thankful.

“Our whole way down from Lincoln, everybody we talked to was just amazed that a power company from Lincoln, Nebraska, would put all those miles on and leave their families for that long to go and help people out,” he said. “I’ve talked to tons of people, and they’re so appreciative. They’ll stop anything they’re doing to come thank us for what we’ve done. And that’s what makes it worth it.”

Baker said the crew will be down there at least until Friday.