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LA-Area Electrical Workers Head East To Assist In Aftermath Of Sandy

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Crew members from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) left for the East Coast on Sunday morning to assist in the aftermath of Sandy.

About 60 people, along with three dozen support vehicles, were departing from March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County on a military-style aircraft. In addition, six electrical experts from the Pasadena Water and Power Department were also being deployed to assist.

The crews are expected to help the Long Island Power Authority with the restoration of electricity to the hundreds of thousands of residents who are still in the dark.

The Los Angeles City Council last week approved the move last week.

"In the wake of such a tragic and devastating storm, I am proud that crews from the Department of Water and Power will head to New York to join the enormous and complex effort to restore power to so many people who are suffering," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in a statement released by the LADWP.

Other crews, including electrical experts from the Pasadena Water and Power Department, as well as, members of city-owned utility companies in Anaheim, Burbank and Riverside also departed for the East Coast to assist in rebuilding the regional electrical system.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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