By Dan Klepal
Enquirer staff writer

One group of Cinergy workers just got back from hurricane duty, and another is about to leave.

A group of 100 from Cinergy is heading out this weekend, stopping first in Atlanta before being deployed to whatever areas are hit hardest by Hurricane Frances. A different group of about 150 Cinergy workers, who volunteered to travel to work in storm repair, returned Sunday from two weeks of duty on Florida's west coast, restoring power knocked out by Hurricane Charley.

Kathy Meinke said Cinergy is responding to a request from Florida Power & Light for help. The crews will replace broken utility poles, string lines and hang generators.

FP&L has requested "several thousand" additional people to help restore power.

"We serve half the state," FP&L spokesman Bill Swank said. "And this is a huge, powerful storm."

Scott Murrison, a Cinergy field supervisor who works in the Blue Ash area, was one of those on Hurricane Charley duty. He said it is dangerous work.

"There are a lot of different utilities there, broken poles and wires on the ground," Murrison said. "If individual generators aren't grounded right, they can energize the lines we're working on.

"But it's an amazing feeling to pull into a neighborhood that has been without power for eight or nine days and see the smiles on their faces when they see our trucks."

The local chapter of the American Red Cross will send two people - Gary Miller, director of emergency preparedness for the local chapter; and Vince Costello, director of international services. Like the Cinergy crews, Miller and Costello will wait in Atlanta until the storm passes, then respond to hard-hit areas.

Miller, a 30-year veteran of the Red Cross, will supervise the entire Red Cross effort.

E-mail dklepal@enquirer.com