Local crews deployed to Florida; evacuees find refuge in city hotels

As forecasters predict Hurricane Matthew’s eyewall could deliver the strongest, most destructive winds along its projected path, local lineman are headed to Florida to help with the aftermath, and lots of evacuees have already made it to Andalusia.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has told some 1.5 million people who live in evacuation zones that, “You need to leave. Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate.”

And evacuate, they have. Local Holiday Inn Express manager Kim Jenkins said the hotel’s phone started ringing off the hook about 10 Wednesday morning. By the time the sun set, the hotel was at full occupancy.

“We normally don’t allow pets, but I made an exception for this,” she said. “I know I wouldn’t evacuate without my dog.”

The phones are still ringing, she said, adding that she has referred people to other local lodgings, and that her company’s sister hotels in Greenville also are filled.

“I know these people are worried,” she said. “We just try to keep the coffee hot, and help them all we can.”

President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency for Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, which allows the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA to coordinate relief efforts.

Additionally, Scott has activated 3,500 members of the Florida National Guard to help with evacuations and to prepare for search and rescue operations.

Harper Electric sent a crew of 13 to south Florida Wednesday morning and Christle Bush said they were sending another crew of likely six to seven to Georgia or Florida on Friday.

“They don’t know how long they will be there,” he said. “They sent them one place and the sent them another, but they are near Miami.”

Covington Electric Cooperative sent six linemen to Peace River Electric Cooperative in Wauchula, Fla.,

CEC Vice President of Operations Alan Thrash said that they staged them near Tallahassee last night. “They are prepared to stay seven to 10 days,” he said. “If they have extensive damage, we’ll swap our crews if our help is needed longer.”

This is the second time this year, CEC has deployed crews to help restore power to another electric cooperative, Thrash said earlier this hurricane season a crew went to help in Tallahassee. “The longest we’ve rotated was five weeks and that was after Hurricane Katrina in 2005,” he said. “This group has gone to Peace River Electric Cooperative before.”

Seven linemen from the city of Andalusia left this morning for New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

“It’s near Daytona,” said Jeff Puckett, electric operations manager for the city of Andalusia. “We are going to help repair powerlines.”

Puckett said they are taking four trucks – two bucket, a bigger truck and a pickup.