Reading of U.S. Secretary of Energy Granholm and Assistant Secretary Turk’s conversation with power industry leaders on the response to Hurricane Helene

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica via email. Or follow us on Google News!

WASHINGTON, DC – On October 4, 2024, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm and Assistant Secretary David M. Turk met with electric industry leaders to discuss ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Helene, which had devastating impacts for communities in the southeast and east of the country. Appalachia. The leadership of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council and the Energy Government Coordinating Council have been meeting regularly since September 25.^ebefore the storm made landfall to align industry preparedness, response and recovery efforts and facilitate coordination with federal government partners.

During the call, Secretary Granholm thanked utility leaders for their continued commitment to response efforts and expressed gratitude for the hard work and perseverance of utilities who worked around the clock to restore power in often dangerous and difficult terrain. The extent of Helene’s damage required a massive restoration effort that required resources from across the country. At least 50,000 utility personnel from 41 states, the District of Columbia and Canada assist in hurricane response. So far, crews have helped restore power to more than 4 million customers from the height of the storm.

Over the past week, President Biden and Vice President Harris have repeatedly called on federal departments and agencies to do everything possible to help communities affected by Hurricane Helene. states. DOE will provide ongoing support to federal, state, local responders and electric industry partners during the damage assessment and customer recovery process. In the regions hardest hit by Hurricane Helene, DOE is committed to supporting these most impacted areas as they transition to community rebuilding and long-term recovery.

The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene only underscores the growing threat of severe weather and the importance of energy resilience. DOE will continue to collaborate and deploy available resources to support preparation and response to all threats and hazards to the energy sector. This includes preparing for Hurricane Milton, which is strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico.

Departmental preparedness and response efforts are coordinated by DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), which leads the agency’s response to disruptions within the energy sector and has been designated the lead for Emergency Support Function #12 (ESF #12) under FEMA’s National Response Framework. CESER publishes daily situation reports on DOE’s Hurricane Hub with the latest updates on recovery efforts.