JACKSON, Mich. — Darrell Browning knows what a hurricane looks like. In 2011 he was a Consumers Energy lineworker and volunteered to go with a group from Michigan to New York to help restore power.
“Very humbling experience,” said Browning. “We’ve showed up on situations where you know they’re looking at the devastation. The home is completely wiped away.”
These days Browning is a supervisor with C.E. and Thursday he was among the 200 employees and contractors heading south to Florida to help the branches there prep for Hurricane Irma.
“We are headed to serve,” said Browning with a smile. “As a leader I always look at it first and foremost as being a servant. And of course with this catastrophic event that we have going on unfortunately we’re here to help out partners.”
Crews gathered on Thursday at the company’s headquarters on Parnell Street, prepping their trucks for the long 1,033-mile trek to Florida. Michigan’s Consumers Energy is a part of a mutual assistance program with other branches throughout the country. When Florida called out for help, they rallied their guys.
“We have fair weather this time of year in Michigan,” said VP of Operations Performance Greg Salisbury. “So we make ourselves available to extend our hometown service commitment to wherever the help might be needed.”
Right now, that’s Florida. C.E. said in a press release that Irma is currently still a storm with winds of up two 180 mph. It’s expected to strike on Sunday. The crews in Michigan — coming from 15 different local branches — were informed of this before they signed up. Many still volunteered.
“People are ready to step away from their daily routines and their families and make this journey into the unknown,” said Salisbury about the crews who’ll be away for at least 2 weeks. “They bring that first piece of control which is ‘we can put the lights back on.’ And help people return to a sense of normalcy.”
Salisbury said is was a proud day to be a part of the Consumers Energy team. The crews hit the road around 2 p.m. with police escorting them to I-94. They’re stopping in Georgia along the way and are expected to arrive in Florida by Sunday night just in time for Irma.
“We’re there to get the power restored,” said Browning smiling again. “So when you see the blue and white trucks show up, it’s an exciting moment.”
