After nearly two weeks assisting the city of Douglas, Georgia, City Water, Light and Power crews have returned to Springfield.
The crews helped with power restoration in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Two CWLP crews and a supervisor have been working in Douglas, a town of 11,000, where a lot of damage occurred.
According to the utility, "crews were assigned to make repairs to larger circuits on major transmission lines and poles to restore power to the largest groups of customers first, which included priority facilities needing power including the Wal-Mart Distribution Center, US Post Office, and grocery stores, before moving on to the smaller system repairs that serve smaller pockets in residential neighborhoods. Damaged homes and businesses, flooding, lack of cell phone service and lack of water supply were among the initial challenges the community encountered and a lot of rebuild work remains."
Mutual aid agreements help utilities restore power in the event of a disaster. The Springfield area benefitted after the 2023 derecho, when crews from various locations arrived on scene.
This trip to Georgia was coordinated through the American Public Power Association and the Illinois Municipal Utility Association, according to CWLP.