Dixie Electric Power Association’s Brady Creel had expected to spend the week before his wedding helping fiancée with last-minute preparations for the big day.
Hurricane Milton had other plans for the couple. The week before their Oct. 19 wedding, the lineman at the Laurel, Mississippi, co-op volunteered to help a Florida co-op restore power after the Category 3 storm left 86% of its members in the dark.
Creel was one of 19 Dixie Electric crew members sent to Wauchula-based Peace River Electric Cooperative Oct. 9. Creel’s supervisor gave them the option to sit out the mutual aid trip—but he wouldn’t hear of it.
“Helping others is my calling. It’s in my nature,” said Creel, speaking from a mutual aid trailer outside Wauchula late Oct. 11 after a 16-hour workday. “It wouldn’t have sat right with me” not to help.
Public service is something the Moselle couple have in common. A police officer in Petal, Emily Creel understands heeding the call of duty. She said it was a “no-brainer” that her now-husband, himself a part-time sheriff deputy in Jones County, would help with restoration efforts.
“I get there are things that happen that are out of our control; someone’s got to do it,” she said, noting that the groom had been very involved during the months-long hustle and bustle leading up to the wedding. “I’m thankful I’m marrying someone who’s selfless enough to be the one who goes.”
Did, as they say, Creel make it to the church on time? Dixie Electric released the crews Oct. 16—earlier than expected—so he got a ride back home just in time to finish setting up his groom table and greet guests for the Oct. 18 rehearsal dinner.
About 150 guests attended the couple’s wedding in Richton. And now the newlyweds have a story to share on commitment to community.
“Brady’s willingness to step up to help restore power after Hurricane Milton, even with his own wedding just days away, is a testament to his dedication and the heart of service shared by all linemen,” said Dixie Electric General Manager Randy Smith. “Their selflessness and commitment to helping communities in need, even during their own significant life events, truly embody the spirit of service that runs deep in our industry.”
Victoria A. Rocha is a staff writer for NRECA.