GARLAND, Texas, September 27, 2005 -- A five-man Garland Power & Light (GP&L) line crew left Garland early this morning, headed to Jasper, Texas to assist the city in restoring power to its utility customers.

Located in east Texas, just 67 miles north of Beaumont, Jasper’s electric system received major damage from Hurricane Rita. Most of Jasper’s 8,000 citizens are without power.

"Lee Wellman, an electric supervisor at the City of Jasper welcomed our offer of assistance," said Jim Harder, GP&L's Director of Electric Utilities. “Our crew is looking forward to getting there and taking the steps needed to restore service within Jasper.

The GP&L crew is taking five vehicles, including trucks that can dig holes and set poles.