1000 Words: The first responders from the utility companies

When you think first responders, these people don’t get nearly enough credit.

They’re the crews who piled into their trucks from points far away — including from Minnesota and Wisconsin — and drove to Florida for the overtime pay and privilege of touching electric wires and listening to the occasional complaint from some people that their electricity wasn’t restored yet after Hurricane Irma.

The photo was posted on Facebook by Eversource, an electric utility in New England, which noted its 100 employees (disclaimer: my nephew is among them) “drove through flash flood warnings, tornado warnings, and tropical storm warnings before arriving in Florida to check-in with the state’s largest power company, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL).”

A commenter responded, complaining that he’s been unable to get his streetlight repaired in Boston.

“You guys are terrible,” he said.

America.