Special to The Messenger

The Electric Cities of Alabama (ECA) commends Troy Utilities, as well as the City of Troy, for responding to a call for help from a neighboring utility in Georgia.

Troy Utilities sent a three-member crew and a two-member crew to Griffin, Ga., last week to help restore power to customers who were affected by Winter Storm Pax. The crews departed last Wednesday evening and didn’t return until late Friday night, working to restore power to several hundred of Griffin’s residents.

Griffin, located in the Atlanta metropolitan area, was one of several cities who experienced extreme weather conditions associated with Winter Storm Pax.

The City of Troy was thankfully not in Winter Storm Pax’s path and had a crew willing to travel and work long hours to assist in repairing power lines downed by tree limbs and ice.

“Anytime help is requested by ECA, for in state or out-of-state assistance, unless we are affected by the storm, we are ready to send crews,” said Brian Chandler, Troy Utilities electric superintendent.

ECA’s Executive Director Jonathan Hand coordinated assistance with the Electric Cities of Georgia after many of their member cities had been impacted by heavy ice and snow accumulations that caused widespread outages.

“Sending crews to lend a helping hand to our member cities and neighboring states is part of who we are,” Hand said. “When disasters occur such as Winter Storm Pax, ECA members are ready to help impacted areas get back on their feet.” ECA, a coalition of Alabama’s municipally owned electric utilities, coordinates disaster assistance among its member cities and surrounding statewide electric associations when storms strike.

The association has a long tradition of working together to ensure a speedy recovery from storms in a timely and safe manner.