Dozens of local electrical workers were dispatched to Michigan to help with restoring electrical power following a devastating ice storm.

Paul Wirth, spokesman for PPL Electric Utilities, said the company received a request from Consumers Energy in Michigan."We released 37 people (employees from one of our electrical contractors) on Monday, Dec. 23, and they arrived in Lansing, MI, on Christmas Day," Wirth said. "We expect them back at our office by early next week."Wirth added, "It's very important to participate in these mutual aid deals, because when our customers need extra help, we can make the same requests of other utilities, and they will help our customers.""It's common practice in our industry to share resources during a time of need," he said. "We have made sure to leave plenty of resources behind in case there are any outages in our territory."