Local crews help in Hurricane Sally relief efforts

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Electrical and disaster relief crews from across the nation are sending relief to areas damaged by storms, and Hurricane Sally is no different.

After Sally made landfall in the Florida panhandle and Alabama, local crews are on the road to help relief efforts on the ground.

Warren RECC and ServPro of Warren County are both sending crews to help with Hurricane Sally relief efforts.

Wednesday, three Warren RECC crews left for Summerdale, Ala. to help repair damage and restore power in areas hit by the storm, according to Warren RECC’s Kim Phelps.

“Electricity is essential. You have to have electricity to go to school, to go to work, to run your air conditioner, to run your lights. So, it’s essential, and it’s just important that we help out others in need. It’s important to us to make sure that our communities are safe to continue working,” said Phelps.

Similarly, ServPro of Warren County is sending crews Thursday and this weekend to begin restoration on homes damaged by the flooding.

Michael Ann Burris is the storm lead for that crew.

“The city of Pensacola is completely under water so it’s going to be a bit of a struggle getting there. I know the roads are blocked off. There’s 400,000 people without power, so that’s going to be a big struggle. That’s why it’s probably going to take us a little while. I’m guestimating about three weeks we’ll be there just trying to get to as many people as we can,” said Burris.

The crews will be cleaning up the area, putting up electrical poles and lines, repairing and drying damaged homes and buildings, and helping out with other tasks needed of them.

“We never have a lack of people wanting to go when we have a storm restoration situation. They volunteer. They all have a heart for service and they all want to go. We work together with what the needs are, with the other co-op; it’s Baldwin Co-op in South Alabama; what they need and what we can offer and what they need and we always have volunteers because they have a big heart, all of them,” said Phelps.

Warren RECC crews will remain in Alabama as long as they are needed, with relief crews available if necessary

Ironically, another devastating hurricane, Hurricane Ivan also made landfall on Sept. 16  just 16 years ago, in the same area.