PPL Electric Utilities sent 72 employees from across the Pennsylvania service area to help communities and people in southwest Louisiana recover from Hurricane Rita, the second major hurricane to strike the state in a month.

The contingent, including linemen, engineers, technicians, supervisors and support personnel, left Sept. 28 for an Energy Corporation staging area near Lake Charles, La., an area hit hard by Hurricane Rita."Hurricane Rita has caused further upheaval for countless businesses and people who live and work along the Gulf Coast," said John F. Sipics, president of PPL Electric Utilities. "Our employees are again joining the other utilities and electrical contractors from across the country to help bring basic services back to people who have faced such widespread devastation and lost so much."