GRAND HAVEN, MICH., Jan. 9, 2025 – The American Public Power Association (APPA) recently honored the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power (BLP) with a national commendation for supporting electric power restoration efforts in Florida, last October. The BLP deployed a line crew in a joint effort with five other Michigan municipal electric utilities to travel and assist Orlando, FL with recovery efforts from the effects of Hurricane Milton.
“Three of our line workers sacrificed time with their families to make the over 1,200-mile journey and help restore power to the residents and businesses in Orlando,” said Rob Shelley, General Manager of the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power. “We thank them for their dedication and commitment to serve.”
Mutual aid is a collaborative emergency response arrangement in which utilities receive and give assistance for power restoration following a disaster. When a local electric utility suffers damage that exceeds its capacity to fix, it requests assistance from other utilities. The requesting utility provides an estimate of the skilled workers, equipment, and materiamericanpublicpowerassociationals needed for restoration. Other unaffected utilities then respond with what they can offer…