WESTFIELD – Beth Burns, Westfield G&E human resources coordinator said the municipal light plant is on standby following Hurricane Irma’s destructive path through Florida and the Southeast.
Burns said the Northeast Power Plant Association (NEPPA) coordinates mutual aid in New England. “When more resources are need, we’ll be there to respond, and in all likelihood sending a crew,” Burns said on Monday.
Millions are without power in Florida, and power was also knocked out in Georgia as Irma spread northward on Monday.
No notifications are up yet on the NEPPA.ORG website, but on the home page a postponement of a planned “Lineworker’s Rodeo” has the following statement: “With Hurricane Irma bringing the likelihood of a large mutual aid response from our region, we have decided to postpone the NEPPA Lineworker’s Rodeo. We are planning to reschedule the event once we have a clearer picture of the situation in the Southeast.”
Burns said that Westfield G&E would likely get involved in the second wave of mutual aid. “We have done it before in the not too distant past,” she said, speaking of a response to help restore power in Connecticut.
