PENNSYLVANIA, USA — It's been nearly a week since Hurricane Milton ripped through Florida -- the second major hurricane to hit the state in just a short time.
Now, companies here in Pennsylvania are getting involved with relief efforts.
FirstEnergy Corporation has sent about 580 line workers from the northeast to Florida, working in places like Daytona Beach, Sarasota, and St. Petersburg. Roughly 50 of those lineworkers are from Pennsylvania's Met-Ed and WestPenn Power companies.
These crews are helping out Florida Power and Light, as well as Duke Energy.
Chris Hoenig, a spokesman for FirstEnergy, says more than 3 million Floridians lost power in the storm.
Although much of the power has been restored in these areas, crews plan to stick around a bit longer to ensure everything is repaired.
Hoenig says he's impressed by how resilient these families are, and the way they've been able to carry on with their lives in a time like this. He shared the Pennsylvania crews have even been recognized by some of the Floridians.
“There's also been a sense of normalcy that comes when people come up to us and say, ‘hey I used to be your customer’ because Florida is home to a lot of retirees from the northeast and a lot of people who've moved down here," Hoenig said.
"So, it's always nice when people come down and they're like, 'oh, I lived in, you know, York County or I lived in Berks County.' We can have a little chat with them, and it brings that sense of normalcy and gives you that extra pep in your step.”
At this time, FirstEnergy does not expect to send any additional crews to Florida.
Right now, these line workers are putting in 16-hour days just to ensure everything is restored in a timely fashion.
Hoenig says some of the line workers have been away from home for three weeks because they have also been assisting with power outages from Hurricane Helene.
FirstEnergy says safety is their top priority and they want to make sure crews get back to their families.