MOUNT VERNON — The return of electric power to Mount Vernon and Knox County following the storm on June 29 was made possible thanks to the efforts of various out-of-state electric utility companies. Many of the crews seen during the past week in Mount Vernon have been from the Alabama Power Co.
The Alabama crews were contacted by American Electric Power-Ohio through a mutual assistance agreement where crews travel to other states in the event of large power outages. Two supervisors with the Alabama crew in Mount Vernon are Eddie Wright and Philip Shelley. They were among numerous crews dispatched to the Newark District with their crew then sent to Mount Vernon. More than 100 crew workers from Alabama alone were sent to Newark to help with the repair of electric lines.
Shelley told the News that they have been in Mount Vernon since Sunday, July 1, and are expecting to be sent home possibly after Tuesday.
