Approximately 30 ComEd workers hit the road towards Georgia from Channahon Friday, aiming to help in power restoration efforts in the state amid Tropical Storm Helene.
Tropical Storm Helene, which has led to at least 33 deaths across the southeast, has also left more than 4 million people without power in the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, and parts of Virginia.
The route to get to Georgia could be difficult as Helene’s remnants linger and some roadways may be damaged.
“Our folks are going to be speaking with Georgia Power. They’re going to be monitoring the weather, they’re going to see what’s happening between here and Georgia” ComEd spokesperson John Schoen said.
Jessica Jaramillo is a manager at ComEd who for the first time will be joining crews on the ground for this deployment.
“We really don’t know what to anticipate right now,” she said.
Jaramillo and her team have packed for two weeks and are set to remain in Georgia until power is restored.
ComEd will send an additional 100 linemen to South Carolina Saturday. Those crews will work primarily on distribution lines, which service power for homes.
Friday’s crews work on transmission lines, which are higher voltage and come directly from a power plant.
“It’s a smaller group but it’s a more specialized group. And that’s what Georgia power has asked for,” Schoen told NBC Chicago.
Friday’s team will stop first in Kentucky before continuing on to Georgia, where they’re expected sometime Sunday afternoon.