CANTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Several utility crews from Massachusetts are heading south to help anticipated rescue and recovery efforts following Hurricane Florence.
Bedford’s McDonough Electric Construction Corporation is among the local agencies taking pre-emptive measures and making the trek down the East Coast.
The company has sent 30 trucks and 54 workers to the areas in Florence’s projected path.
“Its helping people out that are in distress, that don’t have power,” Kevin McDonough said. “We’ve all been through it. It’s not a fun thing to have no electricity, no heat, no water.”
Workers left headquarters early Wednesday morning. Their convoy was spotted on Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania before arriving in Roanoke, Virginia, where they’ll wait out Florence and then help repair power lines.
The company has helped out across the country on other occasions when disasters have struck. Now, they’re just “paying it forward” after receiving years of help during blizzards in the Bay State.
“They came up here to help us in large quantities and masses. We like to do the same in their time of need,” McDonough said.
Canton-based FM Generator is also ready to lend a helping hand. The company has packed up cables, generators, compressors, chainsaws and more.
They are currently on standby and will assist with keeping cell phone and critical communications operating after the storm hits.
“If you don’t have that ability to contact then you out loose out on the ability to respond in a timely manner to emergencies,” Chris Marks said.
Broco Oil, of Haverhill, has sent a batch of trucks loaded with gasoline and diesel fuel to the Carolinas, and are readying to send a second bunch.
Massachusetts Task Force 1, which is based out of Beverly, has deployed crews to assist with rescues.
Red Cross volunteers from Massachusetts and Rhode Island are also heading south.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)