Wisconsin crews set to help Floridians in Hurricane Ian aftermath

FLORIDA (CBS 58) — Footage of total neighborhoods taken out by Hurricane Ian are being shared. The Purple Cross is working across the clock to supplier shelter to the newly homeless – and utility crews are rushing to Florida to see what they will do.

Greater than 33,000 Floridians are spending one other evening in one of many Purple Cross’ 260 shelters throughout the state. And volunteers are coming from throughout to assist in the mass reduction effort.

The large storm surge left catastrophic damages to Sanibel Causeway. It’s now an island utterly shut off from the mainland.

Elsewhere in Florida – roofs blown away – heavy winds tossed timber and boats, and left total neighborhoods unrecognizable. Rescues are persevering with, even now. Water waist deep, and better in spots.

No less than 5 have been reported useless in Lee County. And the energy is out for no less than 90 % of Fort Myers.

“We’re on each day mutual support name, typically a number of instances a day the place the completely different utility firms in that space are on the decision and so they’ll tell us what sort of harm that they are seeing,” mentioned Amy Jahns, We Energies spokesperson.

We Energies is releasing its contract crews to assist out, and monitoring climate maps, to see whether or not their very own employees could also be referred to as to the Carolinas within the coming days.

“It is good to know that we’re enjoying part of serving to them get their lives again to regular too,” mentioned Eric Miller of Kaukauna Utilities.

Kaukauna Utilities has a two-man crew headed to Kissimmee, Florida in a bucket truck.

You’ll be able to think about how enjoyable it could be driving down in a giant automobile that is not constructed for freeway speeds, most likely roaring the entire method down and crawling over the mountains. Want them secure travels and hope that they keep secure.

“We attempt to be sure that we gave them a variety of sources but additionally on a private degree, they’re bringing down a variety of water and different issues to drink too, not their first rodeo I suppose,” mentioned Miller.

Practically 50 lineworkers from Wisconsin Public Utilities met up in Beloit, roughly 24 hours after the hurricane hit Florida. Touring by convoy to New Smyrna Seashore.

“It is gonna be a variety of particles and we’re gonna have to scrub up over there. So there’s gonna be a variety of chain saws working out over there. Yea so what we need to do is get these predominant strains going again up. That is gonna feed all the remainder of the industrial properties, residential properties over there,” mentioned Michael Czuprynko of Municipal Electrical Utilities of Wisconsin.

The secondary strains can be subsequent. Our Wisconsin crews inform us they by no means know what they will discover till they get there, however they’re ready to remain in Florida as much as 4 weeks.