Gulfport, Miss. – A 60-member crew of Mississippi Power employees is headed to the East Coast to offer assistance as Hurricane Irene prepares to make landfall over the weekend.

This morning, line crews and personnel, who will provide IT and mechanical support as well as security, safety, logistics and engineering, left for a two-day drive toward Washington, D.C., where Hurricane Irene is expected to hit on Sunday.

Mississippi Power received the request for assistance from Pepco Holdings Inc., which serves the D.C. area.

“We’re pleased to be able to support other utilities in this difficult time,” said Distribution Manager Randall Pinkston. “We were able to send a substantial crew to the East Coast to provide assistance, but still tend to the service and reliability needs of our customers here in Mississippi.”

Employees from the Coast, Pine Belt and Meridian areas are on the team.

Crews were asked to pack for at least seven days although the extent of damage will determine how long they will stay. They expect to arrive near Washington Saturday night.

Hurricane Irene is currently rated a Category 3 storm.

Mississippi Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, serves approximately 188,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties.