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02 Oct 2020

Electric Cities of Georgia, Inc. Receives National Commendation for Electric Restoration Efforts in Response to Hurricane Laura

Atlanta, Georgia (September 30, 2020) — Electric Cities of Georgia, Inc. (ECG) has received a national commendation from the American Public Power Association (APPA) for its support in electric power restoration efforts for Hurricane Laura.

On August 26, 2020, ECG Training and Safety Director, Brandon Wylie, and Training and Safety Specialist, Calvin Vallee led 13 crews (12 GA communities and one contractor) to Louisiana to assist in power restoration efforts from the aftermath of Hurricane Laura through the ECG Mutual Aid Agreement.  The 13 crews from ECG Member Communities assisting in those efforts were Acworth, Albany, Cairo, Calhoun, Cartersville, Covington, Crisp County, Dalton, Griffin, LaGrange, Thomasville, West Point, and Deep South as the Contractor. Crews were dispatched to Abbeville, St. Martinville, Rayne, Kaplan, Winnfield, and the Town of Welsh, which suffered widespread outages as a result of Hurricane Laura. After several days of relentless efforts, some utilities were restored and all ECG crews were then assigned to the areas with the most devastation; Winnfield and the Town of Welsh. Residents showed their gratitude by providing meals and doing laundry daily for the crews. Click here to view the Mutual Aid Commendation for Welsh Utility Department.

Louisiana Energy and Power Authority (LEPA) General Manager, Kevin Bihm said, “I would like to personally thank each Regional Coordinator and every member of every line crew and all of the support personnel that had a part in the rebuilding and restoration of the LEPA cities and towns that were impacted.  Public Power ‘shined bright’ here in Louisiana and we are forever grateful.”

John Giles, ECG President & CEO,

“Mutual Aid is at the heart of what public power does whether that is in your own state or miles away. The 52 Public Power Communities in Georgia are always willing & ready to provide mutual aid support anywhere they are needed.”

ECG participates in the American Public Power Association’s Mutual Aid Network, which coordinates with utilities and authorities during widespread power outages.

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Mutual Aid Crews