Dear Linemen of the Southeast, thank you for participating in yet another major hurricane event and coming to Lake City to start your adventure in our massive staging area. Welcome to the Gateway to Florida.
We know you sacrificed your own family time, your daily routine and your free time for the next week or more to help those less fortunate who will be hammered by the storm in the next few days in Florida and the days after in other inland flood-prone areas of the Southeast.
We know you are getting paid to put your life on hold and accept the challenge or restoring power in areas you are not familiar with. We also know you face the uncertainty of safety in these new areas without hesitation. We know there is danger and we appreciate you for how you handle this challenge with courage.
We see you and what you do. We appreciate your hard work.
Society cannot function without electricity and the grid must be restored quickly. It affects commerce, the supply chain and daily life, but as a society, we are not as tough as we once were. We are soft. No air conditioning, no working traffic signals, no water pumps and flushing toilets, this is a devastating blow to our psyche and our way of life.
You fix it all by restoring power.
The many trucks and operations vehicles that have descended on our town has clogged traffic in many locations on U.S. 90 and in the fairgrounds area, but hopefully, our residents and business traffic has been somewhat accommodating to your presence.
Hopefully, you have enjoyed our restaurants and have been able to step away from your seat behind the wheel and relax for at least a few minutes. We have seen you and your crew and most of our residents have offered friendly waves and words of encouragement.
Most of all, we want you to be safe, get your assignments and your work accomplished and help others less fortunate than we are. We know you will restore the power grid — ours or the electricity of others — as quickly and efficiently as possible.
We pray for your safety and offer good thoughts for a speedy outcome to Hurricane Ian and all it packs. We’re thankful for your intensive training and expertise. We’re glad you’re here in our community.