Atlantic Canadians are stepping up to help those in Florida following Hurricane Helen, a major storm that haemorrhaged the state, and ahead of Hurricane Milton, which is poised to hit the sunshine state on Thursday.
Several electrical crews from Nova Scotia Power embarked on the drive south, starting through Maine down to Florida to join around 20 other crews from other states commuting from California to Minnesota to Tampa after “receiving the call only 24 hours ago.”
“Nova Scotians are no strangers to the devastating impacts of these kinds of weather events. We are so proud of our colleagues who stand ready to help our American neighbours. Stay safe out there,” the company wrote, as the province has dealt with seven hurricanes since 2020.
The company is sending 35 electricians ahead of the hurricane to wait out the storm at the Georgia border, so that they can fix power lines, restoring people’s electricity after the damage is done.
Nova Scotia Power senior director of energy delivery Matt Drover told CBC News that the call came to the company directly from other electrical companies in the state.
“Our crews will really be focused on taking direction from the power companies, where to go, who to help out, and how to get power back on as quickly as we can,” he said.
“They will be very focused on removing trees, repairing power poles, power lines and things that have been damaged by those hurricane force winds. They’ll be directed where to go and make those repairs.
Additionally, Florida has received 5,000 from the U.S. National Guard and another 50,000 linemen from across the continent. This comes on the heels of the sunshine state sending many to help those in need after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina.
“If you’re in the path of this storm you’re most likely going to lose power,” warned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during a press conference on Wednesday.
Hurricane Milton is currently a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of up to 210 kilometres per hour which is poised to hit from Sarasota to Tampa Bay on Thursday along Florida’s west coast.
Tampa was already forced to endure massive flooding as a result of Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, now Milton could potentially be the strongest storm to hit the city in the last 100 years.
“Safety is the number one importance,” said Drover. “Once winds are below 80 km/h they can put their buckets up and begin to make repairs. They’ll be removing trees and navigating around flooding.”