SAN ANTONIO — As folks in Florida prepare for the first major hurricane to hit in 2023, CPS Energy crews are on their way to help after the storm.
The first leg of their journey includes driving more than 1,000 miles from San Antonio to Jacksonville, Florida. There, the men and women will join other power crews from across the country and find out their assignments.
CPS Energy will send close to 30 employees, including overhead linemen, pole crew, fleet personnel, safety teams and additional staff to Jacksonville. This is in response to a request from JEA, a community-owned electric company in Jacksonville.
Florida often calls on CPS Energy for help when tropical systems strike.
"It's a confidence they have with us. To be able to work safely. To show up when we say we're going to show up and to do a good job. And so, you know, we're proud to represent San Antonio when we get to go on these types of trips," said CPS Energy CEO Rudy Garza.
When asked about their biggest challenge he added, "Worrying about about the wires and the circuits that they're working on, being energized. And even if they're not energized sometimes in homes, you have generators that will feed back into the system and create a safety hazard."
Heavy rain and wind gusts from Hurricane Idalia are expected in the Jacksonville area beginning Wednesday.
CPS Energy crews will be ready to help get the power back on for impacted JEA customers.
This is a developing story.
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