By Associated Press
Birmingham, AL – Contract utility crews from Alabama are heading to the Midwest to help ice storm victims struggling to stay warm. Alabama Power Company freed up 37 contract crews involving about 240 workers. They left Birmingham at 6 o'clock Monday morning headed for the St. Louis area. The crews are expected to arrive tomorrow in an area hammered by an ice storm over the weekend. Hundreds of thousands of people don't have power in Missouri. The Alabama contract crews will work with Ameren -- the utility that provides electric service to the St. Louis area. The crews will work in the city as long as needed. Its the second time in two months that Alabama has freed up contract crews to help restore electricity after winter storms coated much of Missouri.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)