America knows about TECO team members’ passion for helping far-away communities get back on their feet after severe storms knock out power and gas. But that passion overflows in other ways too.
Add Jackson, Miss., to the list of places we’re working to help. As August ended, tap water stopped for more than 150,000 residents of the state capital. No water for drinking, showers or even flushing toilets. The culprit? Damage to the city’s water system from heavy rains led to a catastrophic failure.
Far away in Tampa, Lead Substation Electrician Clayton Davis watched the news with a sense of anger, disgust and determination.
“I mean this is a city in the U.S. without water – it’s ridiculous,” he said of his initial reaction. “When you think about the critical work we do at TECO, a lot of it happens outside; we rely on water for our health and safety and the community counts on what we do. I thought there’s gotta be a way we could help the people of Jackson.”
An email to Tampa Electric President and CEO Archie Collins started a conversation about just that. Archie reached out to TECO’s Emergency Management team to see how our company may be able to help.
After receiving the request, Emergency Management Technician Camryn Henry worked to identify a trustworthy organization to donate to. “Through our network of Emergency Management contacts, we were able to receive a direct link to donate to the local Salvation Army to assist with the Mississippi flood and water crisis,” she said. “At the direction of leadership, a donation from Tampa Electric was made in the amount of $5,000 to the Salvation Army to provide relief to the residents of Jackson. Our goal is to provide the financial means to the Salvation Army to distribute necessary resources where it is needed the most.”
Jackson, MS (AdobeStock photo)
In a situation where every bit of help counts, you can join in. For Clayton, it’s the kind of effort that defines what his company is about. The 14-year team member has seen results firsthand from New Jersey to the Bahamas, where he was part of crews that restored power after major storms. In the Bahamas, he even handed out bottled water to grateful residents.
“We found people sitting in homes with no roofs, having lost so much,” he said. “But one thing that stuck with me was how much they wanted and needed basic water to drink.”
As for Jackson, reports say the situation is improving, though it may take weeks to get the water system back to normal. Until then, residents are under a boil-water notice. But for team members with connections to the area – and for the ones who may end up one day helping restore power or gas there after severe weather – they’ll hopefully remember how turning ideas into action is an elemental part of TECO’s compassion for the community, no matter where it is.
