Entegrus workers head back to Canada after setting out to help with hurricane relief

A team of 14 staff members from Entegrus were on their way to help out in Florida but were told they weren’t needed at this time.

The crew was going to assist in the restoration of power to customers affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“As we’ve done in the past, Entegrus is proud to help our American counterparts in the face of natural disasters. Our crews are experienced and well-equipped to handle the challenging conditions these hurricanes present, and we remain committed to ensuring safety throughout the restoration process,” said president and CEO of Entegrus Jim Hogan.

“We are incredibly proud of how our team came together to prepare and deploy in a short time,” Hogan continued.

“While our crew won’t be assisting on-site in Florida, this experience reaffirms our commitment to providing aid in times of crisis. Our thoughts are with all those affected by the storms.”

The Entegrus team was joined by crews from Bluewater Power, ERTH Power, Essex Powerlines, and E.L.K. Energy.

Despite their enthusiasm to help, the crew turned around and headed back to Canada on Thursday afternoon after they were called off the power restoration task.

"We can take that as a good thing that our assistance isn't needed," said Essex mayor, Sherry Bondy, who also serves as chair of the E.L.K Energy Board.

"It was kind of exciting, I'll admit, to have E.L.K. part of the mutual aid, strong enough to be able to go help."

Bondy told CTV News this was the first time E.L.K. Energy was able to send a team to assist outside of its own jurisdiction and will be ready to answer the call again in the future.

"We were quite proud that our crew was able to contribute, and I know, the crew back home was cheering for them. They had a lot of support," Bondy explained.

She continued, "We've worked really hard to get into a position to be able to give back, because we know in the past, we've needed crews to come into our territory to help us as recently in 2023 with that ice storm, we did have help from other local utilities. So now, we know it's nice to be part of a mutual aid agreement where local utility companies can give back when somebody needs help. We want to be there. And we want to be able to pick up the phone and say, ‘hey, we need help’. It's kind of a give and take."

Previously, Entegrus supported Florida power & Light (FPL) during Hurricane Irma in 2017 and responded to other significant events, including Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"We'll be ready next time nature calls, and we hope that we don't have a lot of storms here locally where we have to call anybody any time soon," Bondy added.

Energus said the crew will return home in time for Thanksgiving.