About 40 Appalachian Power workers from Virginia and West Virginia are helping restore power in areas hard hit by Hurricane Irene. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones.

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There’s no shortage of work, with hundreds of thousands of Virginians still without power. Apco spokesman John Shepelwich says it’s normal for utilities to help each other in such times to get the power back. The work is often very slow going, however, because in many cases, they have to clear away downed trees before restoring lines and power.