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PPL Electric Utilities crews are slogging through soggy neighborhoods in the Buffalo, N.Y., area to help restore electricity in areas walloped by a record October snowstorm.

About 40 PPL Electric Utilities linemen made the journey north early Sunday. The crews worked in communities along Lake Erie and were expected to shift north into Buffalo today (10/17) to continue their work. The company also released 140 contractors to bolster cleanup efforts.

“Our crews are joining with other utilities’ to help the region get back on its feet,” said John F. Sipics, president of PPL Electric Utilities. “We’re glad we can help. We will still have enough resources to continue to meet our customers’ needs.”

The company received a request for assistance Saturday night from National Grid, a utility that serves customers in western New York. According to National Grid, more than 260,000 homes and businesses were without power after the storm.

As of Tuesday morning, power had been restored to more than 150,000 homes. The storm was particularly devastating because the wet snow stuck to trees before they had a chance to lose their leaves. The additional weight greatly increased the number of fallen limbs and trees.

“Utilities often help each other out in unique situations like this,” Sipics said. “This support helps companies get customers back in service as quickly as possible.”

Last year, PPL Electric Utilities sent employees to Mississippi to assist in Hurricane Katrina cleanup efforts. Several weeks later, the company dispatched crews to southwest Louisiana to restore electricity after Hurricane Rita.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation that provides electricity delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania, has consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. Headquartered in Allentown, PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) controls about 11,500 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to more than 5 million customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America.