Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) and crews from Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) left early Saturday morning headed for Vinton, Louisiana, to assist in electric restoration efforts.
With power restored to the city of Lafayette, LUS and GRU are sending over a combined crew of 25 linemen and 18 trucks to the hard-hit city of Vinton, just west of Lake Charles, after the Category 4 storm Hurricane Laura passed through early Thursday morning.
"We have gone to help Vinton several times in the past," said LUS Electric Operations Manager, Greg Labbe'. "Vinton is a publicly owned utility just like LUS and part of the same network that participates in mutual aid after a disaster."
As members of the American Public Power Association (APPA), an association of non-profit community owned utilities, LUS was able to call on the APPA mutual aid program to bring in line crews such as Tallahassee, Gainesville, New Smyrna Beach, Fort Pierce, Lakeland, and Jacksonville, all from Florida, to assist in Lafayette after Hurricane Laura.
"GRU is with LUS in Vinton, Tallahassee is headed to Alexandria, Fort Pierce and Lakeland are headed to Abbeville and JEA (Jacksonville) will assist Cleco," said Labbe'.
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