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Local man travels to FL to help restore power

Towns along the Gulf Coast are bracing for the worst as Isaac continues on its track towards them. Lineman crews, that will work to restore power, are on standb...

Towns along the Gulf Coast are bracing for the worst as Isaac continues on its track towards them.

Lineman crews, that will work to restore power, are on standby.

Included among them is an Atkinson, IL man.

Watching the radar has become a temporary way of life for April Brooks, whose husband, Steve, is in Jacksonville, Florida holding out for Isaac to hit the shore.

"You never know what's going to happen or what they're going to run into,” said Brooks. “It's really scary to think that he might not come home at night."

Steve last restored power when Hurricane Irene barreled up the East Coast a year ago.

The category one hurricane killed 67 people and resulted in two million power outages in the state of New Jersey alone.

April knows the danger faced not just by people living on the Gulf Coast, but also the volunteers there to help.

"I worry for my husband and all the other line workers down there to just take it slow,” she said. “Take your time, get the power turned  back on, but you've got to think of safety first."

She's staying in constant contact with her husband.

"I can kind of give him a heads up, 'Hey, this is what's going on.' Right now, he's standing outside a truck and they don't really know what's going on."

When they're not on the phone, April is trying to stay distracted so she won't worry too much about Steve.

"Try to keep busy, spend time with family and friends and try not to think what's going on."

 April expects her husband to be gone at least two to three weeks.

She's somewhat used to him being away because he travels so much for work.

He's typically only home on weekends.

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