JUNO BEACH, Fla., Sept. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Power & Light Company is urging
customers to prepare for power outages as extremely powerful
Hurricane Dorian approaches the Florida coastline. The company
continues to execute its emergency response plan, pre-positioning
workers and equipment in preparation for this Category 5 hurricane
off Florida's coast.
"Hurricane Dorian's track remains unpredictable and there is a
razor-thin margin of hurricane force-winds impacting Florida's east
coast; therefore, at this juncture, it is impossible to predict how
many FPL customers may lose power as a result of this powerful
hurricane," said Eric Silagy,
president and CEO of FPL. "Do not make assumptions about the
current track of this storm. Stay vigilant and be prepared: If you
live in the cone of uncertainty, you could experience severe
weather and power outages. Even if Florida doesn't take a direct
impact, we anticipate significant effects, including powerful
tropical storm-force winds, possible tornadoes, storm surge
and flooding from this slow-moving storm. These effects will create
challenges with trees toppling, debris and vegetation blowing into
our lines, which may require crews to repair large parts of our
energy grid."
FPL anticipates that a large portion of its service area will
feel the impacts of potential tropical storm-force winds from
Dorian and may experience power outages. Customers are urged to
take the time now to prepare for potentially prolonged outages.
Additionally, given the nature of the approaching storm and
expected vegetation-related impacts on FPL equipment, some
customers may experience more than one outage throughout the
duration of the storm. Trees are the leading cause of
outages, so FPL proactively clears tree branches, palm fronds and
other vegetation from more than 15,000 miles of power lines every
year. Following severe weather, our crews must cut away trees and
other vegetation that have fallen into power lines, or that are in
the way, to find and fix damage safely and as quickly as possible.
Workers will operate bucket trucks and restore service in between
bands of severe weather, as long as winds are below 35 MPH and
conditions are safe.
"We understand the anxiety many of our customers are feeling as
this dangerous storm looms off our coast, and we want to reassure
them that we're ready to respond," Silagy added. "We've assembled
the largest pre-storm restoration workforce in company history with
a workforce of approximately 16,000 hardworking men and women
committed to restoring power as the first bands of severe weather
impact our service area. They will work around the
clock to restore power safely and as quickly as possible. We
ask our customers to be patient and prepare for the potential of
extended power outages, including customers who experience
non-storm related outages. As long as it's safe, we'll be out there
restoring power and we won't stop working until every customer's
electricity is back on."
FPL urges customers to complete their final preparations, heed
warnings and evacuation orders from local, state and federal
officials and prepare for potential prolonged outages in areas
where vegetation and flooding present challenges. Most importantly,
make safety the highest priority. If you come to an intersection
with a non-working traffic signal, Florida law requires you treat
it as a four-way stop. Be sure to heed the Move Over Law, and move
over and slow down whenever there is a utility worker, law
enforcement officer or a first responder on the side of the
road.
"I also want to extend my gratitude to our partners in law
enforcement, first responders and the FDOT who are helping us
keep the roads clear and safe to allow additional restoration crews
into the state, so we can be ready to restore power safely and as
quickly as possible," said Silagy.
Additional resources
- How FPL restores power
- Stay safe before a storm
Customers can download the FPL app for on-the-go, instant and
secure access to their accounts. Customers can report or get the
latest information on an outage. The app is available for download
in the iOS App Store and Google Play. To quickly download the FPL
app, text the word "App" to MyFPL (69375). Customers also can sign
up for storm updates by texting the word "Join" to MyFPL
(69375).
How to stay informed
FPL communicates restoration
information to customers frequently through the news media and the
following resources:
- FPL website: FPL.com
- Twitter: twitter.com/insideFPL
- Facebook: facebook.com/FPLconnect
- FPL blog: FPLblog.com
- FPL Power Tracker: FPL.com/powertracker
- FPL app: Download from the App Store or Google Play, or text
the word "App" to MyFPL (69375)
Florida Power & Light
Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the
largest energy company in the United
States as measured by retail electricity produced and sold,
serving more than 5 million customer accounts or an estimated 10
million+ people across the state of Florida. FPL's typical
1,000-kWh residential customer bill is approximately 30 percent
lower than the latest national average and among the lowest in the
U.S. FPL's service reliability is better than 99.98 percent, and
its highly fuel-efficient power plant fleet is one of the cleanest
among all electric companies nationwide. The company was recognized
in 2018 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by
Market Strategies International for the fifth consecutive year. A
leading Florida employer with approximately 8,700 employees, FPL is
a subsidiary of Juno Beach,
Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean
energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability,
ethics and diversity, and has been ranked No. 1 in the electric and
gas utilities industry in Fortune's 2019 list of "World's Most
Admired Companies." NextEra Energy is also the parent company of
Gulf Power Company, which serves more than 460,000 customers in
eight counties throughout Northwest
Florida, and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together
with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of
renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in
battery storage. For more information about NextEra Energy
companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com,
www.FPL.com,
www.GulfPower.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
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SOURCE Florida Power & Light
Company