Tag Archives: hurricane season

Business, Energy

FPL Installs New Poles to Strengthen Electric Grid and Help Communities Prepare for Hurricane Season

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“FPL takes hurricane season very seriously and we prepare for it year-round,” says Keith Hardy, FPL’s vice president of Distribution.

Juno Beach, FL (June 22, 2012) — From Sarasota to Stuart, Miami to Merritt Island, drivers may not think much about the orange signs seen along Florida roadways warning of utility work ahead. However, if a hurricane strikes in the coming months, this seemingly insignificant work could help Florida Power & Light Company better serve its customers in these communities.

“FPL takes hurricane season very seriously and we prepare for it year-round,” says Keith Hardy, FPL’s vice president of Distribution. “We are investing $200 million this year to strengthen our electric grid, replace poles and improve reliable service. This is one of the ways we help prepare the communities we serve.”

Following the unprecedented hurricane seasons of 2004-2005, FPL, under the guidance of the Florida Public Service Commission, embarked on a long-term infrastructure strengthening effort to help communities better respond to severe weather. The work improves FPL’s service reliability throughout the year, but Hardy says its greatest value lies in its potential to help the utility restore power to customers faster after a storm strikes.

“We work closely with the governments, customers and first responders in the 35 counties we serve to identify critical infrastructure – facilities like hospitals, 911 centers, police and fire stations – places that provide for the health and safety of the public,” says Hardy. “We worked to improve the infrastructure around these facilities first, as we know they provide essential services to our communities.”

Since 2006, FPL has strengthened the electric grid serving many of the top critical facilities in the state, and is now expanding its efforts to include important thoroughfares – along with grocery stores, pharmacies and service stations – that can help communities return to “normalcy” faster. In these areas, FPL reinforces existing utility poles with stronger wood or concrete poles, some of which stand 55-feet tall and weigh more than 8,000 pounds. Stronger poles are expected to improve restoration time as setting new poles takes much more time than replacing downed wires.

”We have 280 residents and patients – and that’s a lot of lives to be responsible for,” says Carmen Shell, director of the Morse Geriatric Center in West Palm Beach, one of the critical care facilities FPL services. “Restoring power rapidly is the best thing that can happen because not everything works on a generator.”

Hardy reminds customers that hurricanes are devastating forces of nature, and that in a serious storm there will be power outages, which could be lengthy. He encourages customers to develop plans accordingly.

“While no utility can be storm-proof,” says Hardy, “FPL’s ongoing investments in line strengthening and storm readiness are designed to help limit the impact of storms on the electric system and enable the utility to restore service to customers faster when outages do occur.”

Media Contact:
FPL Media Line
Florida Power & Light Company
700 Universe Blvd.
Juno Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888
amelia.gomez@rbbpr.com
http://www.fpl.com

Business

FPL Urges Customers to Prepare Now for Power Outages this Hurricane Season

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FPL asks customers to be prepared to be without power for several days should a powerful storm bring devastation.

Juno Beach, FL (May 31, 2012) — As Floridians turn their attention to the tropics this storm season, Florida Power & Light Company reminds customers that no utility is hurricane proof. While the company’s careful investments since 2006 have made its electric system more resilient to severe weather, hurricanes are powerful forces of nature that cause significant damage, and including potential widespread electricity outages.

“Hurricanes are powerful forces of nature that can cause significant damage and widespread electricity outages,” said FPL President Eric Silagy. “FPL has a well-developed plan for storm restoration. We train rigorously and we are prepared.”

Customers’ storm plans, like those of FPL, should anticipate that a direct strike by a major hurricane could damage the electric system so significantly that many customers could experience power outages. FPL asks customers to be prepared to be without power for several days should a powerful storm bring devastation. The following tips will help customers to best be prepared for power outages this storm season:

FPL’s Storm Preparation Checklist for Customers
• Review family emergency plans for back-up power and relocating;
• Update the phone number and e-mail address on file with FPL;
• Keep a copy of a recent FPL bill in your storm kit so key phone numbers and account information are readily available;
• Ensure that you have all necessary adapters to charge cell phones or laptops from a generator, solar charger or car charger;
• Those dependent on electric-powered, life-sustaining medical equipment should know relocation arrangements now for when a storm warning is issued;
• If customers haven’t done so already, they should have their trees properly trimmed by a trained line-clearing professional. This minimizes the potential for debris to impact the power lines for homes and neighborhoods. It is important to have debris cleared prior to a hurricane warning announcement when trash pickup is suspended. For more information on FPL’s tree trimming policies, visit Trees and Power Lines;
• Gather and test essential supplies needed during power outages:
o two-week supply of fresh batteries
o Flashlights
o Battery-operated radios
o Extension cords
o Emergency generators;
• Now is the time to test portable generators. Make sure the equipment works, know how to operate it and where to safely use the equipment. For more information, visit our Generator Safety web page.

How FPL Communicates with Customers Regarding a Storm
When outages occur, FPL understands that its customers need to know when their power will be restored so they can plan ahead. That’s why FPL communicates frequently through the news media and makes its communications accessible on smart phones and tablets, through such sites as:
• FPL website: http://www.FPL.com
• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/insideFPL
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FPLconnect
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/FPL
• FPL blog: http://www.FPLblog.com
• FPL Power Tracker: http://www.FPLmaps.com

How Customers Can Best Communicate with FPL
After a storm, FPL is aware that customers are without power and urges them to call FPL only for emergency situations.
• FPL urges customers to keep its phone lines open for emergency situations.
• Customers should call 911 or 1-800-4-OUTAGE if they see a downed power line.
• FPL is aware that customers are without power so there is no need to report outages at this time. If you have already reported a downed power line, it is not necessary to call and report it again.
• However, if customers still find themselves without service, even though their neighborhood or area of business has been mostly restored, we want to hear from them. If customers are in this situation, they should call FPL at 1-800-4-OUTAGE, as they may be experiencing a more localized problem with their electric service and we want to restore their power safely and as quickly as possible.

FPL’s Pre-Storm Activities
Prior to the start of storm season, FPL conducts extensive training to prepare its employees to respond safely and as quickly as possible if a storm threatens FPL’s service territory. To get ready for storm season, FPL also coordinates assistance agreements with other utilities for out-of state support, orders restoration supplies and equipment, and secures staging sites throughout its 35-county service territory. These preparations enable the company to quickly deploy equipment and crews to storm-damaged communities.

FPL’s plan recognizes that restoration of power to its customers will vary not only on the path and intensity of the storm through FPL’s service territory, but also on how the storm impacts other utilities and how quickly additional restoration workers and supplies can reach Florida.

In addition, FPL works closely with emergency operations officials to update lists of Critical Infrastructure Facilities, such as hospitals, police and fire stations, communication facilities, water treatment plants, and transportation providers. This information is used to establish priorities for restoration in any communities that might be affected by a storm.

Year-round, FPL proactively makes its infrastructure more resilient to strong winds and less likely to be impacted by debris as part of its comprehensive, long-term plan to deliver reliable electric service, in good weather and bad. These efforts include:
• Clearing tree limbs and branches from power lines;
• Inspecting poles for strength and health;
• Upgrading poles, many of which are replaced with concrete or steel, and;
• Inspecting power lines and equipment with infrared technology.

Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. FPL serves approximately 4.6 million customer accounts and is a leading Florida employer with approximately 10,000 employees. The company consistently outperforms national averages for service reliability while its typical residential customer bills, based on data available in December 2011, are about 25 percent below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit http://www.FPL.com.

Media Contact:
FPL Media Line
Florida Power & Light Company
700 Universe Blvd.
Juno Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888
kristy.kennedy@rbbpr.com
http://www.fpl.com