TAMPA, Fla. (WLNE) — Rhode Island Energy crews are helping restore power for Tampa residents in the wake of Hurricane Milton. “We’re putting poles up, putting wires back up, restoring feeders and getting the lights back on,” lineman Brian Madden said. 21 workers made the two-and-a-half day trip down to Tampa last week. “We have a total of 16 lineman with us,” Madden said. “Two supervisors, a couple of engineers, and a mechanic with us.” Crews arrived to find lots of snapped poles and downed lines, working to clean up the mess while dealing with the Florida heat. “Guys are working very hard, it’s warm down here as everybody knows,” Madden said. “There’s a lot of guys down here…we all want to go home in one piece.” Workers said the overall reception from residents has been positive. “When people get their power back on, they’re very grateful, as you can only imagine with this heat,” Communications manager Jonna Chokas said. “I haven’t had one complaint yet,” Madden said. “Everybody that we’ve run into when restoring power has been great.” Crews said they are expecting to return to Rhode Island sometime later this week. Categories: News, Rhode Island