Pictured are the Statesville crew and two Lewis Tree Service employees traveling with the group: Hunter Houston, Zane Harrington, Latney Lowtharpe, Garret Tomlin, Jeremiah Cristopher, Robert Lindmark and Donnie Barron.
Isaias is headed toward the North Carolina coast, but so is a Statesville Electric Line crew. On Monday they departed to New Bern, a city located on Neuse Bay, and in the crosshairs of Isaias.
“We are glad that the City is in a position to help out New Bern. We have certainly had our times in the past when we have benefited greatly from the emergency assistance program. I know they (public power communities) would be here for us if we needed them,” Statesville Electric Utilities Director John Maclaga said in a press release.
They will be joined by a crew from High Point. New Burn is currently under a storm surge warning by the National Hurricane Center.
According to the city of Statesville's press release, the trip was organized through the ElectriCities Emergency Assistance Program which provides a network of support in times of trouble, bringing public power communities together to restore, building, and get the power back on safely. It also said crew members will wear face coverings, maintain social distancing, wash and sanitize hands, and use any other reasonable precautions due to the coronavirus.
They aren't the only workers in Iredell County headed toward the storm, either.
Mooresville Fire-Rescue is sending 14 members at the behest of North Carolina Emergency Management to Elizabethtown in support. According to their Facebook page, the team spent Monday practicing GPS skills and boat operations to get themselves ready.
