Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) will send a crew of five lineworkers and one fleet worker to Kissimmee, Florida to help with the Hurricane Dorian response. The RPU team will leave on Saturday morning and will be away for at least two weeks depending on hurricane damage and crew response for restoration efforts.

The RPU crew will leave from the RPU Service Center along with approximately 15 other Minnesota utilities supplying 18 municipal line crews (42 lineworkers), along with 13 bucket trucks, 1 digger/derrick and several support vehicles. The RPU crew will bring two bucket trucks, with 55 and 48 foot booms.

The media is invited to meet with the RPU crew before they depart on Saturday morning. Interested media outlets can arrive at the RPU Service Center gate along East River Road at 8:30 a.m. No admittance will be permitted after 9 a.m.

RPU and other Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association (MMUA) utilities last helped with mutual aid back in 2017 with Hurricane Irma in Kissimmee, Florida and surrounding communities. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that 6.7 million Florida customers lost electricity due to the hurricane in 2017.

RPU will share updates and photos from the crew on their Facebook and Twitter pages. For more information regarding the response effort, contact Tony Benson at 507.280.1534 or 507.398.7250 (cell).

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 55,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 40,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include photovoltaic offerings, wind energy, energy and water efficient equipment, and electric vehicle charging.

###

The Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) Lake Zumbro Dam will be open for public tours on Friday, August 9 from 12-5pm and on Saturday, August 10 from 9am-1pm to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the historic facility.

Tours of the facility will include learning about the specifications of the dam and turbines, the history of the facility, the output of the turbines, and all of the safety and inspections that are required to operate the dam. Parking for the event will be available at Mac’s Park Place 57444 406^th Avenue, Mazeppa, MN 55956.

For additional questions regarding the dam or the tour, please contact Tony Benson at 507.280.1534.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 55,000 customers. Water customers number more than 40,000. RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive. Current initiatives include photovoltaic offerings, wind energy, energy and water efficient equipment, and electric vehicle charging.

###