Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)Â crews prepared to head to Florida Wednesday afternoon to help restore power to those affected by Hurricane Irma as the category 5 hurricane makes its way to the U.S. mainland.Â
"Safely restoring power to customers affected by a catastrophic event such as a hurricane or earthquake begins the process of returning life back to normal," the power utility said in a news release.Â
PG&E is sending line workers, equipment operators, supervisors and support personnel, about 100 from California as a whole and eight from Kern County.
The locals head to Davis Thursday to stage equipment with the more than 100 and they will leave for Florida early Friday morning, said PG&E spokeswoman Katie Allen.
The trip is part of a mutual aid agreement made in 2014 with Florida Power & Light (FPL), pledging to support each other in the event of a major natural disaster.
The agreement between the two companies commits personnel and includes logistics, common work procedures and safety protocols.
According to PG&E, Hurricane Irma marks the second time the agreement has been activated. The first was for Hurricane Matthew last fall.
FPL will cover the costs of the support.
With speeds around 185 miles per hour, Irma is one of the most powerful Atlantic storms ever recorded, CNN said.