ComEd workers heading down to Southeast after Hurricane Helene after more than 1 million lose power

CHICAGO (WLS) -- ComEd workers from the Chicago area are headed to the southeast to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene's landfall, which left more than a million people without power.

ComEd deployed a team of linemen to Georgia from Channahon. They are overhead electricians who work on the power lines along highways which bring electricity into communities.

"Not sure what we'll encounter," said Ryan Thornton, electrician. "Lots of snakes, or sure. There's not as many of those up here."

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"We expect to see flooding, we expect to see downed trees, downed poles, all sorts of debris that's going to be in the area,"ComEd spokesperson John Shoen said. " Safety is really top of mind for everything that we are going to do. We want to make sure our folks are working safely and we are able to provide the best help that we can to get the power back on."

ComEd says the crews are going to assist people in Georgia could be there for a few days or a few weeks, depending on how much assistance is needed.

Jessica Jaramillo manages the overhead transmission team. She's also a Chicago mom who is leaving her daughters for the first time for two weeks straight.

"My daughter actually made me this bracelet," she said. "They know that their mom is there to help support these people right now, that's the focus. They are out of power we are here to assist in any way that we can."

The Chicago Aviation Department reports that there've been more than 30 flights canceled at both O'Hare and Midway over the past 24 hours,, though a vast majority of the delays and cancellations are at O'Hare.

Most flights to the country's southeast, which is feeling Tropical Storm Helene's impact appear to be taking off as scheduled from O'Hare, though some flights that are supposed to arrive here from the Florida or Georgia area are either delayed or canceled.

Tropical Storm Helene is causing major flight disruptions across the country.

More than 800 flights were canceled, as the storm drenches the southeast with heavy rains and strong winds.