JUNO BEACH, Fla., Sept. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Power & Light Company has already restored nearly 70,000 outages as of 4:00 p.m., as Hurricane Dorian's outer bands affect Florida's east coast. Most of the outages have been the result of trees and vegetation falling on equipment and power lines.
"As we have been restoring power to our customers as Dorian makes its way closer to Florida, our hearts go out to our neighbors in the Bahamas who have been devastated by Hurricane Dorian. While it is too soon to know the full extent of the damage, we stand at the ready to support the Bahamas in their time of need," said Eric Silagy, FPL president and CEO.
"Dorian remains a dangerous hurricane just off the east coast of Florida," added Silagy "Our hardworking men and women have been actively responding to outages resulting from Dorian's outer bands of severe weather. As long as it is safe to do so, our crews will continue to restore customers and will not stop until every customer has been restored. While Dorian's impact has not been as severe as originally feared in South Florida, we cannot be complacent about this strong hurricane. We urge our customers to remain vigilant and keep safety top of mind and heed warnings from state, local and federal officials."
FPL continues to closely monitor the path of the storm. As it moves north, the company is continuing to coordinate with its industry mutual assistance partners to reallocate resources to assist those in Dorian's path.
Customers in low-lying areas and areas impacted by flooding and storm surge should stay off roads and stay indoors. Power interruptions may cause traffic signals to stop working without warning. Under Florida law, an intersection with a non-working signal must be treated as a four-way stop. Customers should also heed Florida's Move Over Law, which requires drivers to move over and slow down whenever there is a utility worker, law enforcement officer or first responder on the side of the road.
As restoration continues, there are a few ways customers can help:
- Avoid stopping crews to ask when power will be restored. Directing questions to FPL restoration workers slows down their work and, more importantly, can compromise their safety. Typically, restoration workers don't know restoration times. They've been assigned to a single segment of an affected line. FPL will provide estimated times of restoration through the media, the FPL App, Facebook, Twitter and FPL.com.
- When you're out driving, clear the way for FPL trucks so that crews can get to their next work site faster. The restoration workers truly appreciate this courtesy, as they work long hours to get the power back on for all affected customers.
- When gathering post-storm debris, keep utility poles and transformers clear so that restoration workers have access to them.
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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.
SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company
