EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – It has been several days since Hurricane Helen ravaged The South.

“Looking at some of the stuff that they’re talking about, the sights, the sounds and the smells, it kind of does cross your mind a little,” said Terry Schloer.

He has worked for Xcel Energy for decades. He and others from Wisconsin are using their skills to help bring relief to those impacted by power outages in Augusta, Ga.

“Knowing they’re still looking for help a week after the storm is really kind of telling its tale that there’s significant damage,” said Brad Polacek.

He is one of three managers traveling with twelve linemen that make up six crews from the Wisconsin region.

Xcel Energy is sending over a hundred workers in total from various states, which include our neighbors to the west in Minnesota.

Four of the six Wisconsin groups met in Eau Claire on Wednesday to go over the game plan before hitting the road.

“You don’t realize how important that electricity is until that light switch don’t work anymore,” said Schloer.

Our sister state WAGT/WRDW reported that thousands of linemen from various companies that come from various state are in the Peach State to help out.

Our colleagues said the category 1 storm’s damage to the Georgie Power electric grid includes:

More than 8,000 power poles

More than a thousand miles of wiring

More than 1,500 transformers.

The station also reported that of the 184,000 Georgia Power customers without power, the majority of them are in Augusta.

“There’s plenty of guys that’ll be down there helping out. These guys are going to be putting in 16 hour days. Getting lights on and fixing polls and getting wires up,” said Schloer.

The linemen heading down have had their fair share of power restoration operations.

“In our area here we’ve seen big wind events, thunderstorms, tornadoes aren’t uncommon for this area either,” said Polacek.

The crews recognize the job ahead is easier said than done.

“We’ll gladly go do it and help out. We’ll get dirty and get tired. We’ll put in some long days. But, it’s just part of it,” said Schloer.

“What we can’t lose sight of is the safety part of that. We have to make sure we take the time necessary to do what we do safely. Make sure we have zero injuries on the way there, do our work and make it back home safely,” said Polacek.

The crews from Wisconsin plan to get to Georgia by Friday and expect to work for the next couple of weeks.

Copyright 2024 WEAU. All rights reserved.

MADISON — Republican former President Donald Trump will return to Wisconsin on Sunday for a rally at the Dodge County Airport in Juneau — a fourth campaign event in the battleground state in nine days, his campaign announced Wednesday.

The rally follows events on Tuesday in Dane and Milwaukee counties — the state’s two Democratic strongholds. Trump led in Dodge County by about 15,000 votes, or 31 percentage points, in 2020 when he lost the state to Demcoratic President Joe Biden by about 21,000 votes.

He campaigned in Prairie du Chien in southwestern Wisconsin on Saturday. His Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, has a Thursday campaign stop in the Fox Cities region. Further details have not been announced. Harris held a rally in Madison on Sept. 20.

Like his Tuesday visit to Waunakee, Trump’s remarks in Juneau are being framed by the campaign as a critique of the current Democratic administration’s economic policy.

“This November, Wisconsin voters will send a clear message at the ballot box when they reject the dangerous Democrat, Kamala Harris. Wisconsin voters know that only President Trump can Make America Affordable Again,” the campaign said in a news release.

During his remarks at the metal fabrication facility Dane Manufacturing, the former president spoke for more than 30 minutes before touching on economic issues — aside from a brief tangent during which he said he wouldn’t trust Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris or President Joe Biden “to run a lemonade stand.”

A Marquette University Law School poll released last month showed that the economy was the top issue for Wisconsin voters, with 41% ranking it as their first priority. The same poll found that to be true among 42% of independent voters.

In Waunakee, Trump pledged to cut taxes on American manufacturers to 15%, “but only if you make the product here.” Otherwise, he said, “we’re going to use the power of the tariff.” He also pledged, if elected, to bring energy prices in the U.S. down by 50% within a year of taking office, declaring the country has “liquid gold” by way of “more oil and gas under our feet than anybody else.”

He later took questions from reporters for about 45 minutes in Milwaukee after giving remarks that were similar to the points he made in Waunakee.

While speaking at Discovery World in Milwaukee, Trump hinted his team was looking at holding a rally at Fiserv Forum, which hosted the Republican National Convention in July. Harris also held a rally at the home of the Milwaukee Bucks during the Democratic National Convention.

“The building was beautiful,” Trump said. “I love Milwaukee. We had such a great convention here. They treated us so well. I also like the result. If I didn’t get the right result, I probably wouldn’t like Milwaukee. I got a great result.”

Trump added he’ll announce a rally in Green Bay soon, potentially the day before a Green Bay Packers game. He also hinted at a third event that would be similar to the press conference format of the Tuesday night event in Milwaukee, which was ultimately closed to the public. 

Why candidates are campaigning in Wisconsin so much

Veteran political reporter Craig Gilbert explains why the presidential candidates are campaigning in the state so often.

Hope Karnopp of the Journal Sentinel contributed.

Jessie Opoien can be reached at jessie.opoien@jrn.com.

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Thirty Wisconsinites are away from home in the Badger state helping with recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene, the American Red Cross said.

Most of those thirty Red Cross volunteers are in Florida and the Carolinas, helping victims find shelter and providing meals and relief supplies.

Dave Nelson is one of the thirty Wisconsin volunteers, who has seen the devastation with his own eyes.

“I had the opportunity to drive through some of the worst hit areas right where the eye went through near Perry,” Nelson said. “I saw the destruction of the trees down, some of the houses that were crushed.”

Nelson is a government liaison coordinator, meaning he helps coordinate people who stay in contact with local emergency management to assess what each community needs.

“This is a huge operation,” Nelson said. “We have over 900 on the operation just here in Florida and of course the destruction that has moved all the way up into the Carolinas is just a huge response from the Red Cross, which stretches us tremendously.”

The Red Cross said Monday they have served 25,000 meals in the affected area so far.

Those wishing to help the Red Cross can donate blood or money.

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