Juno Beach, Fla. - As Tropical Storm Alberto, the first tropical storm of the 2006 hurricane season, approaches Florida’s northwestern coast, Florida Power & Light Company is prepared. FPL has activated its emergency operations center and is deploying and pre-staging its workforce to be in the best position to restore service following Alberto’s path through north and central Florida.

The company asks everyone -- customers and employees -- to focus on safety before and after the storm and says it will focus on minimizing customer inconvenience. “We care about safety – yours and ours – and getting your power back with as little inconvenience, and as quickly as possible,” said Geisha J. Williams, FPL vice president of power distribution and the executive in charge of power restoration.

For their own safety, FPL work crews cannot begin assessing damage and restoring service until the tropical storm winds subside. FPL crews will move quickly behind the storm to restore service to customers.

Since the weekend, FPL has been closely monitoring the path of Tropical Storm Alberto. In a preliminary move to aid restoration efforts, FPL will deploy crews – linemen, vegetation management and support personnel - from its southern counties to join the crews already in the west and north Florida areas. FPL will deploy additional personnel as necessary. The crews will be staged out of FPL’s service centers and other locations where they will set up equipment and prepare for restoration efforts after the storm.

Steps to take to be safe and protect your family before and after a storm:

We urge our customers in the predicted path of Alberto to be prepared. It is always a good idea to review your family/business emergency plan and most importantly keep your family safe in the event of any major tropical storm. While this is a tropical storm that will impact mostly the central and northern part of the state, forecasters predict that Alberto will bring unsettled weather for the rest of FPL’s service territory. In an abundance of caution, FPL urges all of its customers to monitor weather reports as Tropical Storm Alberto crosses our state.

• Tropical Storm Alberto is expected to bring a lot of rain in its wake. Stay away from downed lines, flooding and debris. Don’t walk in standing water and don’t venture out in the dark because you might not see a power line that could still be energized and dangerous.
• If you see a downed line and you feel it presents a clear and imminent danger to yourself or others call 911 or FPL at 1-800-4OUTAGE. Safety is the number one goal for FPL crews and our customers in recovering from the storm’s effects.
• FPL wants you to have accurate information, and as soon as we’ve reviewed the extent of damage to electrical facilities in your area, we will provide power restoration forecasts through the news media, on FPL’s Web site (www.fpl.com) and at 1-800-4OUTAGE.