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Progress Energy Workers Head to Texas

John Winterrowd/News Channel 8

Progress Energy workers head to Texas to help restore power to thousands.

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TBO.com

Published: September 14, 2008

More than 800 employees and contract workers from Progress Energy are bound for Texas to help restore power following Hurricane Ike.

That is more workers than Progress Energy sent to the northern Gulf coast after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Some crews started the 800-mile to 1,200-mile trip on Saturday and others began moving today.

Of the 822 workers deployed, 380 will come from Florida and 442 from the Carolinas, the utility said. The company sent 385 of its employees and 437 contract workers.

The workers are a mix of company line and service crews, transmission line technicians and support personnel. In addition, contract line and tree crews along with vehicles and equipment will be sent.

The company expects the workers to be in Texas for about two weeks. The region is still mopping up after Hurricane Gustav.

The crews are being sent as part of the Southeastern Electric Exchange that utilities use to provide mutual aid after storms. The utility requesting the help pays for the workers and none of the costs are paid by Progress customers, the company said.

At the height of the storm, 3 million people were without power in Texas and 180,000 homes and businesses were without electricity in Louisiana from damage caused by Ike and Gustav.

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