Storm devastation hit Florida twice in two weeks after Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck the Sunshine State on Sept. 26 and Oct. 9.
The storms caused fierce winds, flooding rains and rising seawaters, and knocked out electricity to hundreds of thousands of Florida co-op members.
Milton caused dozens of tornadoes in the state even before it made landfall near Sarasota, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 mph.
For Hurricane Helene, Mississippi sent 280 men from 20 systems — Coast, 4-County, Tombigbee, Delta, Dixie Electric, East Mississippi, Magnolia, North East, Northcentral, Singing River, Southern Pine, Tishomingo, Yazoo Valley, Alcorn, Tallahatchie Valley, Pontotoc, Natchez Trace, Prentiss, Southwest, and Pearl River Valley.
Mississippi linemen also were dispatched to Georgia to help restore power after Helene struck. Men from Tippah Electric, Central, and Twin County joined the Georgia effort with workers from the co-ops mentioned above. Mississippi had 121 men working in Georgia. Some of those linemen were there following their work in Florida, others were switched out, and some were sent to Georgia directly from their home co-ops.
Following landfall of Milton, Mississippi sent 145 men to assist Florida co-ops.
While Mississippi linemen answered the call to assist Florida and Georgia co-ops in their time of need, life went on at home in their absence.
Dixie Electric lineman Brady Creel was working in Florida even though his wedding was scheduled for Oct. 19.
Brady and his fiancée Emily Holder told Mississippi TV stations that they knew his time to go would come. They just hoped it wouldn’t be so close to their wedding day.
Holder said her fiancé was given the option to sit this trip out, but he chose to put the needs of others before himself.
There’s still a plan to make sure he’s back in time to say his vows.
“I have an aunt who’s just making the extra trip to get him,” Holder said. “It’s like an hour and a half extra for her, and then she’s going to drive him home.
At the time of this writing, the couple’s wedding was still scheduled for Oct. 19, Holder said.
Yazoo Valley Electric lineman Justin Milner was working in Florida to restore power after Milton and was surprised with a gift from Florida co-op Peace River Electric.
While Milner was away from home, he had to miss his baby’s gender reveal.
“To show our gratitude for his hard work and sacrifice, we gifted him something special to celebrate the upcoming arrival of his little one,” Peace River Electric posted on their Facebook page.
“Moments like these remind us that the cooperative difference goes far beyond power lines — it’s about people, family, and community.”
Turns out, Milner is going to be a girl dad.
