LP&L is among the Lubbock, Texas-based teams assisting with Hurricane Milton. This is how they help

Lubbock Power & Light crews are among Texas first responders and disaster recovery teams heading to Florida this week to assist with recovery efforts from Hurricane Milton.

Milton was classified as a major hurricane late Tuesday and was recently upgraded back to a Category 5 storm as it moved east through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida's Gulf Coast.

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This is the second major hurricane expected to hit Florida in recent weeks, after Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage and was blamed for hundreds of deaths from Florida's northern Gulf Coast to the Carolinas.

Lubbock Power & Light is sending crews

LP&L announced Tuesday that city utility crews would return to Florida, this time en route to Gainesville, pending recovery efforts, a news release said.

To prepare for power restoration, LP&L is sending 13 vehicles and 15 crew members. These crew members will replace the 15 LP&L employees who just returned from Hurricane Helene recovery efforts.

The LP&L vehicles left the LP&L distribution center on Tuesday. On Tuesday they headed to Ruston, Louisiana, and on Wednesday they are scheduled to complete the trip to Gainesville, where they will take shelter until the storm passes.

The 15 crew members making the trip include two construction crews, two service crews and a mechanic. The call for assistance is the result of a mutual service agreement signed by LP&L to assist with such disaster recovery events.

In recent weeks, LP&L has been supporting Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) in the recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. Preliminary data shows that GRU has not suffered damage of this magnitude since Hurricane Irma in 2017. The restoration process included replacing approximately 100 poles, 70 transformers and miles of conductors. In total, the first round of LP&L crews worked over 195 hours and traveled approximately 3,000 miles to safely restore power following Hurricane Helene.

As Florida continues to recover from Hurricane Helene, resources on the ground are limited and we will continue to provide support in response to the extensive damage from both hurricanes.

In light of the disaster declaration being issued, all costs associated with LP&L's efforts to restore power to Florida residents will be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to the release.

“Florida’s recovery from these back-to-back hurricanes will take time, but mutual aid ensures we can contribute to its rapid recovery,” said Joel Ivy, LP&L Chief Administrative Officer. “We are proud to be part of the nationwide effort to get communities back on their feet and demonstrate the power of collaboration in times of crisis.”

Breedlove sends food aid after Hurricane Helene

Last week, Lubbock-based Breedlove Foods sent truckloads of food to Georgia and North Carolina to help deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The shipments of dehydrated food were sent on October 2nd and 3rd.

“Our first two food shipments for Hurricane Helene were sent on Wednesday and Thursday. The first shipment is going to Georgia in collaboration with SERV International, a non-profit organization based in Canton, Georgia. The second shipment is heading to North Carolina on Thursday in collaboration with Samaritan's Purse, a nonprofit based in Boone, North Carolina. In total, these two shipments will provide 200,000 servings of food,” Breedlove said in a message. “We currently have a generous donor willing to match donations up to $45,000. Breedlove would be very grateful for any financial support the Lubbock community is willing to offer so we can continue to send more food to people who desperately need it. Anyone interested If you would like to make a donation, you can visit us at Breedlove.org.

Texas sends emergency response teams for Hurricane Milton

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that he has directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to deploy additional Texas emergency personnel to Florida at the request of the Florida Division of Emergency Management as Hurricane Milton moves across the Gulf of Florida Mexico moves.

“Our country is stronger when we come together in times of crisis, and Texas is immediately providing additional support to help our fellow Americans as Florida prepares for this major hurricane,” Abbott said in a news release. “I have directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to deploy more emergency management personnel to help Floridians prepare for this devastating hurricane. I thank all emergency responders and first responders from Texas and across the country for working tirelessly to protect Americans from the devastation caused by Hurricane Milton.”

At the direction of Governor Abbott, TDEM established an Incident Management Team consisting of emergency management personnel to support emergency leadership, planning, operations, logistics, resource coordination and disaster financing to support emergency response following Hurricane Milton in Florida support.

These resources are in addition to the deployment of fast-water lifeboat crews and search and rescue personnel to assist with flood response efforts, as well as other emergency management personnel to support emergency resource coordination yesterday ahead of the impacts of Hurricane Milton.

This deployment of resources is coordinated within the framework of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). EMAC is a state-to-state mutual aid system that allows states to provide assistance and share resources with another state in response to a disaster or emergency. EMAC members can share resources across disciplines, protect personnel in the field, and receive reimbursement for mission-related costs. For more information, visit emacweb.org.

Texas has deployed nearly 200 first responders to support hurricane response and recovery efforts across the southeastern United States, including:

• Deploying emergency resources to Florida to support the Hurricane Milton response and disaster recovery resources to Tennessee to support the Hurricane Helene recovery

• Deployed Incident Support Task Force personnel to North Carolina to assist state and local emergency response communities impacted by Hurricane Helene

• Deployed emergency veterinary resources to North Carolina to support Hurricane Helene response and recovery efforts

• Use of emergency generators in Georgia after Hurricane Helene

• Texas A&M Task Force 1 urban search and rescue resources deployed to Florida ahead of storm impacts from Hurricane Helene

This article originally appeared in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: LP&L among Lubbock, Texas teams assisting with Hurricane Milton