And those are just the workers assigned to assist Duke, the largest power company in the Carolinas, said Brian Reil, a spokesman for Edison Electric Institute, an industry group that helps coordinate the mutual aid response. An additional 20,000 workers have been dispatched to other utilities in the area, he said. That decision made the hurricane the only known case in recent history in which mutual aid was not invoked after a major power failure. Puerto Rico compounded the mistake by hiring a small contractor, Whitefish Energy, to carry out many of the tasks that thousands of mutual aid workers would have undertaken under normal circumstances. This time, FEMA officials say they are prepared, though they are striking more cautious tones than the president and emphasizing the destructive power of the hurricane.

Source: New York Times September 13, 2018 02:01 UTC