Leaving South Carolina yesterday, I noticed convoys of utility trucks traveling up I-95. Then I saw them in North Carolina, and again in Virginia. It’s no surprise that so many utility trucks were headed north—in the wake of Friday’s brutal storm, Pepco asked for as much help as it could get in getting power back on for the hundreds of thousands of households that had lost it.

According to a press release sent out yesterday, Pepco said that “mutual assistance crews are scheduled to arrive Monday from as far away as Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia and Missouri to help with the restoration work.” A Pepco spokeswoman told us today that 622 personnel from outside D.C. have been dispatched to help in what could be work that lasts throughout the week. No comparable massing of forces has occurred since 2003’s Hurricane Isabel, she said.

Dominion Power is also getting outside help, and has reportedly enlisted the help of 1,200 utility workers from various states. By late Sunday, close to 400,000 Dominion customers remained without power.

Similar arrangement have been made during particularly heavy snow storms, when snow plows from one city or state have been sent to another help with removing snow and ice.