NORFOLK, Va. — Hundreds of Dominion Energy contractors are on the way to the Gulf Coast to assist with power restoration efforts in the wake of Hurricane Ida.
Photos and videos from the Gulf Coast show the devastation caused by Ida. The Category 4 storm slammed into Louisiana, knocking out power to more than a million people.
Dominion Energy spokesperson Paula Miller said 200 contract crews from Virginia and South Carolina are on the way to help restore power in areas hit the hardest.
“We will be there and help our neighbors -- especially at times like this in the Gulf Coast regions -- because we may need them one day and we know we will be able to count on them, as well," Miller said. “We’re a coastal region as well and we may need that help one day ourselves.”
The powerful storm brought heavy rain, storm surge, and strong winds that damaged buildings, flattened trees, and tore down power lines.
Louisiana power company Entergy said the storm caused “catastrophic damage” to its transmission system, leaving everyone in Orleans Parish without power.
“Category 4... pretty powerful storm and we can really empathize with what they must be going through today," Miller said. “Some of the work will be getting those tree limbs off the wires before they can actually make the restoration of service.”
Another Dominion Energy team of 240 tree and line contractors is already in the northeast, doing similar work. Communities there are still recovering after Henri hit as a tropical storm earlier in the month.
“We’ve been going north and south in our restoration efforts," Miller said.
The remnants of Ida are forecast to head north, bringing showers to Virginia later this week. Miller stressed contractors’ work in the Gulf isn’t leaving Hampton Roads short-staffed.
She said teams are always available to “safely and promptly” respond to outages in Hampton Roads.
“Our assistance to our neighbors in the Gulf Coast region in no way impacts our response here in Virginia should any of that aftermath makes its way here up into the Virginia area," she said. “Like you, we’re seeing those devastating pictures and hearing those reports but we know that those crews are working round the clock, 24 hours a day, to get service restored.”