ST. LOUIS (KTRS) More aid from the St. Louis region is heading south as Florida prepares for Hurricane Irma. Ameren has joined energy companies from across the Midwest this week on mutual assistance calls to Florida. This comes at the request of Duke Energy as they prepare for damage and power outages and the state of Florida braces for Hurricane Irma’s landfall. Ameren has released approximately 500 workers ranging from linemen, tree trimmers and substation electricians to aid Duke Energy in restoration efforts.
And the Red Cross of Eastern Missouri is sending volunteers to Florida to help with residents caught in the path of Hurricane Irma. Nationally, the Red Cross has sent hundreds of trained Red Cross disaster relief workers, truckloads of kitchen supplies as well as tens of thousands of ready-to-eat meals to support this response effort. 15 are headed to Florida from the St. Louis office. Regional CEO Cindy Erickson says all 10 of their emergency response vehicles (ERVs) are assigned; five to Texas and five to Florida plus all the sheltering equipment in this region.