FPL Activates Emergency Response Plan For Hurricane Dorian
JUNO BEACH (CBSMiami) -- As Hurricane Dorian gathers strength, Florida Power & Light is preparing for a projected landfall and is asking customers to prepare now for power outages.
"We're taking Hurricane Dorian seriously and have activated our emergency response plan in anticipation of its impact on our service area. We're actively working with other utilities from across the United States to secure additional crews and equipment and pre-positioning resources in advance of the storm's landfall, so we are ready to respond as soon as it is safe to do so," said Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL. "While Dorian's path remains uncertain, it is forecast to be a dangerous major storm."
Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for all 67 counties in Florida and FPL is coordinating with state and county emergency operations centers.
"Now is not the time to be complacent: we urge our customers to take this storm seriously, make final preparations and keep safety top of mind," said Silagy.
"FPL operates more than 48,000 miles of overhead power lines surrounded by millions of trees. Storms are nature's way of clearing debris, and as we saw with Hurricane Irma in 2017, it is likely that Florida's lush landscape will cause outages and restoration challenges," added Silagy. "Since 2006, FPL has made enhancements to build a stronger, smarter and more storm-resilient grid to deliver electricity our customers can count on in good weather and bad. We also proactively clear tree branches, palm fronds and other vegetation from more than 15,000 miles of power lines every year. These investments paid off for customers following Irma and shaved days off the restoration. Again, with a storm of Dorian's potential magnitude, we expect outages to occur, but these investments will help speed our restoration process."
FPL has near 13,000 employees and additional personnel to help restore power.
FPL urges customers to make preparations and take safety precautions.
FPL is also reaching out to customers via automated information calls, emails or text messages in advance of Dorian's projected landfall.
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