Hurricane Harvey: Pittsburgh emergency power team activates

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s Emergency Power Team has activated to help those who could be affected by Hurricane Harvey.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started pre-positioning teams in Texas on Friday ahead of the storm’s anticipated landfall Friday evening.

"This is something that we're prepared to do," said Dave Bishop, project manager for Temporary Emergency Power, Army Corps of Engineers. "Been doing it for a long time. We exercise, and we're ready to roll."

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The teams will work to provide temporary power to critical infrastructure, if it is affected by the hurricane.

"We had to deploy our teams ahead of the storm and get them there in time so they can account for all the generators," Bishop said.

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There will be 16 critical power experts ready to respond if they are needed to restore power to critical public facilities.

"Things like hospitals, emergency operating centers, fire departments. All the responders have to get in," Bishop said.

Right now, the Pittsburgh team is the only one pre-positioned for the storm, but additional assets are standing by if needed.

Cox Media Group