Wisconsin utilities, Red Cross assisting in Hurricane Milton relief effort

Wisconsinites are pitching in to help with the Hurricane Milton relief effort, from utility workers aiding in restoring power to volunteers with the American Red Cross providing aid.

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane that caused widespread flooding and had killed several people as of Thursday afternoon, according to NPR.

It comes as many in the southeastern United States are still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which killed more than 225 people across six states.

Milton also knocked out power for roughly 3.4 million Florida customers. We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service and Xcel Energy all sent crews down to help restore power. 

A combined 50 employees between We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service departed from Racine and Green Bay on Wednesday morning to assist in the recovery. They stayed in Nashville that night before heading to Florida to join crews from across the country. 

“That’s what us linemen do. We like this stuff, we like to help out — we wanna be there,” WPS lineworker Todd Schoepke told WBAY-TV on Wednesday.

Roughly 100 We Energies and WPS contract workers were sent to help restore power from Hurricane Helene and are staying in the southeast to help with the Milton relief effort, said Brendan Conway, a spokesperson for the parent company of both utilities.

“It’s what we do in the utility industry, we help each other,” he said. “We all know firsthand how difficult it is to be without power, especially for an extended period of time. If we can offer some help, we’re always going to do so.”

He estimates the crews will be in Florida for the next two weeks to help restore power. 

More than 100 Xcel Energy employees from Wisconsin and six other states were in Florida Thursday as well after completing power restoration efforts in Georgia following Hurricane Helene, according to the utility.

“This area of the country has been devastated by hurricane damage and we’re grateful to our crews and everyone who has worked tirelessly to restore power,” Bob Frenzel, president and CEO of Xcel Energy, said in a statement.

Efforts from Helene continue into Milton

The American Red Cross of Wisconsin sent around 60 volunteers to the southeast to assist with recovery efforts from Helene and Milton, according to spokesperson Jennifer Warren.

“It’s important to rally volunteers because of the level of devastation that these disasters cause,” she said. “The folks in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina or South Carolina can’t do it by themselves. They need help.”

She said the volunteers work in shelters, helping distribute food, water and hygiene supplies. Other volunteers, she said, help provide hurricane victims with cleanup kits — containing brooms, rakes, bleach and other supplies — so they can begin to clean up their homes or neighborhoods after a natural disaster.  

“We passed out 435,000 meals and snacks so far to help those affected by Helene,” Warren said. 

She added that residents in Florida are likely tired from back-to-back hurricanes, especially because some were still working to clean up from the devastation of Helene when Milton hit.

“Our hearts go out to everyone that has been affected by Hurricane Helene and the people that will be impacted by Hurricane Milton. And (we) will be there for as long as people need us, helping to rebuild,” Warren said.

Wisconsinites can also help the recovery effort by donating blood, or by making a financial contribution to the Red Cross to support the Helene and Milton recovery efforts, Warren said.