PP&L has sent more than 130 PP&L linemen and support personnel in response to a call for assistance from Niagara Mohawk as the Syracuse-based utility restores its electrical system damaged by one of the most severe ice storms the area has ever experienced.

The 50 PP&L crews who responded to the request come from throughout PP&L's service territory. Most of the crews already have arrived in upstate New York to be dispatched where needed. The remaining crews are on their way.

The ice storm spread from Canada through New York, Vermont and New Hampshire into Maine. Power lines, poles and tree limbs coated by up to six inches of ice snapped; as the poles and trees came down, they brought down other power lines or shorted them out. The ice storm not only affected distribution lines in residential neighborhoods throughout that area, but also larger transmission lines. Three eight-man PP&L crews will help Niagara Mohawkwork on transmission lines. The other 47 PP&L crews, consisting of two men each, will work on distribution lines.

"We're more than willing to help at times like this," said Robert M. Geneczko, PP&L vice president-Power Delivery. "In fact,last week, we had to call on neighboring utilities to deal with greater-than-normal power outages in the Honesdale and Northeast areas. Mutual assistance helps customers by ensuring the reliability of our region's electrical system."

Geneczko said weather forecasts for PP&L's service territory show no severe weather is expected soon. He added that PP&L does have crews available to handle normal outage problems in its service territory.

The PP&L crews will be in New York for up to five days.