Lincoln Electric System sends crews to Florida for storm relief

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Lincoln Electric System is preparing to send staff and equipment to Florida Wednesday morning as the state braces for Hurricane Ian.

Three crews composed of 20 employees will travel to Tallahassee, Florida to help restore power that is anticipated to go out.

Once the storm makes a landing the crews may be called to respond to a different part of the state.

Hurricane Ian is currently expected to make landfall on Sept. 28 near Sarasota and Tampa.

Over the weekend, forecasters anticipated the hurricane to make landfall closer to the Tallahassee area in the panhandle

“Storms of this size have the potential to cause storm surges and flooding,” said Paul Crist, LES vice president of Energy Delivery. “Outages are expected, and our crews will work diligently to restore power, quickly and safely. Safety is a top priority.”

The crews are expected to arrive in Florida on Friday.  A team from Grand Island will also be making the trip.

According to LES’s media team, the staff responding have the knowledge and are prepared to repair underground and overhead power lines.