Three Okmulgee County employees of Public Service Company are among the dozen headed to help Puerto Rico residents have electricity.
The company flew the workers from Tulsa to the island nation that has been struggling to get electricity since Hurricane Maria struck in September.
Once in the devastated country, the PSO employees are traveling to Caguas, a remote, mountainous and heavily impacted region of Puerto Rico. Their trucks and equipment were shipped by barge and arrived there earlier this week. Two additional PSO employees arrived several days in advance to prepare for the arrival of the restoration team.
Cliff Elliott, distribution system supervisor in Atoka, is leading PSO’s team. He says he expects they will work 12 to 15 hours a day, seven days a week for the next 30-45 days.
“We’re honored to have the opportunity to help bring power back to the people of Puerto Rico,” said Elliott. “We will miss our families and friends, but the conditions in Puerto Rico are dire, and they need power restored as quickly as possible. We have the expertise to do that, and we are happy to be able to help.”
Immediately after the hurricane struck, 3.6 million people were without power. More than four months later, many homes and businesses are still without electrical service.