Duke Energy sending hundreds of workers to Gulf Coast to help after Hurricane Laura

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. - More help from Central Florida is headed to Louisiana to help residents recover after Hurricane Laura.

Duke Energy is sending about 350 of its Florida crews to the Gulf Coast to restore power to thousands of customers affected by the storm. About 8-10 trucks are leaving from Duke Energy’s Winter Garden facility on Friday morning headed to the hardest hit areas. 

It's not know how long they will be gone and away from their families. Typically, in cases like this, they can be deployed for several days, depending on how widespread power outages and damage are. 

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Twelve employees with the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) left on Thursday morning to make their way to Lafayette, Louisiana. 

Hurricane Laura made landfall in the early Thursday morning hours as a devastating Category 4 storm.