News Release

Sept. 29, 2004

Fresh PNM Crews Sent to Florida To Restore Power
in Hurricane Jeanne Aftermath

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NEWS MEDIA CONTACT Susan Sponar Telephone: (505) 241-2768

Albuquerque: Seven new PNM crew members will be sent to Florida tomorrow to help restore power in the aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne. The latest estimates indicate that more than 1.9 million homes and businesses are without power after this most recent storm.

PNM crews will fly out of Albuquerque tomorrow morning to work in the Daytona Beach, Fla., area for Florida Power and Light. These relief crews will replace some of the 31 PNM crew members who have been working 16-hour days for the last two weeks throughout Alabama and Florida to help restore power in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan.

PNM crews originally headed out of Albuquerque Sept. 16 with more than $2.5 million in equipment to assist Alabama Power with restoring power. Crew members spent five days in the Birmingham, Ala., area replacing equipment and rebuilding lines, ultimately restoring power to thousands of customers. On their way back to New Mexico last week, crews were turned back and dispatched to the Pensacola, Fla., area, where they have been working to restore power since last Friday morning. The crews have stayed in tents, hotels and condominiums since they arrived.

"The devastation we have seen is unbelievable, and the work has been very challenging. We're not doing just usual repair work, we're literally rebuilding their infrastructure one pole at a time," said Mark Martinez, line crew supervisor at PNM. "What has made it all worthwhile is the generosity of the people. Many people have come out of their homes offering us food and drinks and have been very thankful for our efforts."

Just a few days after crews started work, PNM started receiving e-mails thanking the company for sending crews to provide assistance.

After being contacted by Alabama Power and other utilities, PNM assessed its current work schedule and asked for volunteers interested in traveling to some of the impacted Southern states. More than 45 qualified employees volunteered to help.

PNM is part of the Mutual Assistance Program, sponsored by Edison Electric Institute, a coalition of utilities volunteering to assist other utilities facing catastrophic emergencies.

PNM will have a corporate communications member, Teala Kail, on site with PNM crews in Florida from Thursday, Sept. 30 to Monday, Oct. 3. She will be available for media interviews via cell phone or through broadcast affiliates and will be sending digital photographs back to PNM on a daily basis. Please page Amy Miller at 790-3542 for assistance with interviews and photographs.