Sunshine Sentinel

Like a true neighbor, central Florida electric workers stood ready to assist even before Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana as a Category 4 storm.

In advance of Ida's landfall the night of Sunday, Aug. 29, crews from several power companies under the Florida Municipal Electric Association umbrella headed out to Louisiana. A total of 85 people joined this relief effort intent on beginning repair work as soon as the hurricane subsided, according to WKMG ClickOrlando. 

"The guys that are responding are leaving their homes and their families and going into unknown and somewhat dangerous conditions just to bring power back on to these people that are going to be devastated," Amy Zubaly, executive director of the association, told WKMG ClickOrlando. "To be able to bring a little bit of normalcy to someone's life is really critical and really important." 

The electric crews on this mission included workers from Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Orlando, Kissimmee and Lakeland on route to Layfette, as well as those from New Smyrna Beach and Fort Pierce focused on Plaquemine, Zubaly said.

With more than 1.1 million in Louisiana and Mississippi out of power, restoration efforts could take weeks if the grid has suffered heavy damage, the Florida Municipal Electric Association said in a Facebook post.

Though the situation is not without danger, Chris Taylor, construction and maintenance manager for Orlando Utilities Commission, described the workers' willing spirit in another Florida Municipal Electric Association post. 

"We've been blessed to get help whenever we need help during a storm so our guys love the fact that they can go in and help others at this time," Taylor said in a video on the company's Facebook page.

This latest storm comes 16 years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and is one of five named hurricanes to slam the state over the past two years, according to WKMG ClickOrlando.