MADISON, Wis. – The Road Ranger parking lot in South Beloit was filled with 23 vehicles before sunrise Wednesday morning in response to calls from crews to respond to the expected damage from Hurricane Milton in Florida. It was full of utility trucks from Wisconsin.
Wheels were up within 24 hours after the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) asked the Municipal Electric Utility of Wisconsin (MEUW) to organize mutual aid workers.
Forty-seven journeymen, linemen, and apprentice line workers are bringing in bucket trucks and other equipment to help restore as much power as possible.
Hurricane Helen left hundreds of thousands of people without power across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, and Milton is expected to be even worse.
“We’re going to provide services for the home and also make sure that our major customers like hospitals and treatment facilities are up and running,” said Mike Chuplinko, MEUW’s director of safety services and operations. “And to make sure all of their primary feeding equipment is running, and to help the secondary.”
The fleet from Wisconsin is expected to arrive in Kissimmee, Florida, by noon Thursday. Organizers say they are expecting the unexpected.
“We’re telling everyone to expect two weeks, but maybe more, maybe less,” Chuprinko said.
This isn’t the first time a Wisconsin utility has gone to Florida to help with hurricane damage. They drove ashore in 2022 to help with Hurricane Ian.
