SPOKANE, Wash., Sept. 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the wake of Hurricane Irma, Avista today sent three, five-member line crews and other personnel to Macon, Georgia to assist in electrical distribution infrastructure repairs caused by Hurricane Irma.

Avista is a member of The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Western Region Mutual Assistance Group (WRMAG) which is one of seven mutual assistance groups in the United States. The Avista crews are among several other regional utilities that have been deployed to assist in the volunteer mutual aid effort.

Two Avista crews from Spokane and a crew from Coeur d’Alene will travel more than 2,400 miles to Macon, Georgia. Avista also released six of its vegetation management crews under contract with Asplundh on September 7 to support the Hurricane Irma response effort.

The 15 vehicle, 18 person convoy left Avista’s Coeur d’Alene office at approximately 8:00 a.m. and is scheduled to arrive in Macon, Georgia within 4-5 days. They will join numerous other utilities from across the country who are also supporting Hurricane Irma restoration efforts. The return date for the crews has not yet been determined.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by Hurricane Irma,” said Heather Rosentrater, Vice President of Operations. “When disaster strikes we see utilities come together to support each other. We’re proud to play a role in this mutual assistance effort, and are committed to helping restore power to those impacted by Hurricane Irma as quickly and as safely as we can. We’ve faced devastating storms in our own service area and received mutual assistance from other utilities. Now we have the opportunity to extend this same support.”

About Avista
Avista Corp. is an energy company involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy as well as other energy-related businesses. Avista Utilities is the operating division that provides electric service to 378,000 customers and natural gas to 342,000 customers. Its service territory covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.6 million. Alaska Energy and Resources Company is an Avista subsidiary that provides retail electric service in the city and borough of Juneau, Alaska, through its subsidiary Alaska Electric Light and Power Company. Avista stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "AVA."  For more information about Avista, please visit www.myavista.com.

Avista Corp. and the Avista logo are trademarks of Avista Corporation.

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