I&M sends hundreds more workers to aid in Hurricane Helene restoration efforts

Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) announced it has sent another large group of crews to numerous states to aid in restoration efforts after Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction and millions of people without power.

In total, officials say 466 I&M employees and business partners are now helping their sister companies, Kentucky Power and Appalachian Power Company, restore service to their customers.

Teams include line workers, damage assessors, tree trimming experts, meter technicians, fleet technicians, safety personnel, and various business support staff from across our service area.

Crews are working 16-hour days in hilly, heavily forested and flooded areas in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Officials say the big task for restoration workers is repairing and replacing hundreds of broken power poles and thousands of spans of fallen power lines.

“We are staying focused on working safely and quickly to get the lights back on for those customers and communities who need it to start cleaning up and rebuilding after the storm,” said Donny Williams, I&M’s Manager of Distribution System for our Michigan districts. “There is no shortage of gratitude we are hearing from Kentucky Power customers, and it makes being away from home worth it when we see lights turn on inside homes.”

Officials say there is no timetable for crews to return, I&M remains ready to respond if outages occur at home.