GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – 24 WPS lineman and supervisors are back home after 11 days of helping restore power to millions of Floridians who were left in the dark after Hurricane Irma roared through earlier this month.
WPS Senior Project Supervisor Jon Joanis says getting to the damage was the first challenge.
“A week and few days into it they were still having streets that were flooded and ditches that were up to the street level that made it hard to get to the poles we needed to work on.”
The next challenge was the environment itself. Joanis says they were given a warning every day on their way out the door.
“There are many poisonous animals down there, or animals like gators, snakes, things like that. So, just basically assume that everything is trying to kill you.”
But Joanis says the response from utilities from across the country and Canada, was very impressive.
“That was one of the neater things of the whole experience. Everyone was going to Florida with a purpose.”
Nearly 60,000 workers from across the U-S and Canada helped out in Hurricane Irma restoration efforts.
Unlike Wisconsin storm damage, which is often confined to a specific area, Joanis says Irma created problems statewide.
