JUNO BEACH, Fla. – Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) urges customers to prepare for widespread power outages over multiple days as Hurricane Ian impacts Florida’s west coast. The company has a restoration workforce of nearly 16,000 men and women, including mutual assistance from 27 states. The team in the field is already restoring power in parts of the service area impacted by feeder bands from this dangerous, damaging and slow-moving storm.
The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center, issued at 11 a.m., indicates that Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall along Florida’s west coast as a major hurricane. The path could shift from the current forecast track, and regardless of Ian’s exact landfall, much of FPL’s service area will feel the effects of this powerful storm.
“We urge our customers to not let their guard down, finalize their preparations, prepare for extended outages and make safety their highest priority,” said Eric Silagy, chairman and CEO of FPL. “Beyond damaging wind speeds, Hurricane Ian is poised to bring onshore heavy rains, storm surge and flooding, all of which will create dangerous conditions. Hurricane Ian is expected to slow down and even stall after making landfall, creating treacherous conditions for an extended period of time, which could delay restoration efforts. Please stay safe and rest assured knowing that FPL will be working around the clock to restore power.”
As Ian’s outer bands have begun moving into Florida, FPL has worked to restore power and will continue doing so as long as conditions allow. Even when conditions deteriorate over the coming days, FPL will use smart grid technology to restore power where possible. When winds drop below 35 miles per hour, FPL is able to continue restoration and conduct damage assessments with field crews. These assessments, which include data gathered from a fleet of drones, help the company assign the right crews and right equipment to the right place and give customers a more accurate estimate of when the company will complete restoration in each region.
Depending on Hurricane Ian’s ultimate path and intensity, damage to the electrical infrastructure could be extensive due to severe winds, storm surge, flooding and possible tornados. This damage could require extended repair work, and in extreme cases require parts of the system to be rebuilt. Flooding, fallen structures, debris and other obstacles also can affect the scope and speed of power restoration. Debris and flooding are anticipated to cause restoration challenges. Rain-soaked soil will make trees susceptible to toppling onto power lines and even uproot underground power lines. After waiting for flooding to subside, tree-trimming crews will need to cut away trees and other vegetation before line workers can begin finding and fixing damage.
No system is hurricane-proof, and FPL expects widespread outages. However, improvements made by the company to strengthen the grid since the historic 2004-05 hurricane seasons enable faster restoration times.
What FPL is doing
FPL is finalizing preparations for the impact of Hurricane Ian:
- FPL’s restoration workforce is already actively responding to outages caused by feeder bands moving across the state.
- Restoration personnel, supplies and equipment are pre-positioned on Florida’s west coast to quickly start work as soon as it is safe to do so. Nearly 16,000 restoration personnel are already dedicated to the effort.
- The company has opened 24 staging, parking and processing sites to help speed restoration.
- FPL is focused on restoring power safely and as quickly as possible, and the company is asking customers to make safety their top priority as well.
In the wake of a hurricane, FPL knows customers need as much information as possible in order to make decisions for their families. Every hurricane is different, but FPL’s goal is to provide customers information that is accurate more quickly than ever before. FPL will aim to provide its best estimates for when restoration will be completed for 95% of FPL customers affected by the storm in an area approximately 24 hours after the storm has cleared that area, which is the time the company needs to assess damage and deploy the right crews and right equipment.
FPL will share the best, most up-to-date information as quickly as possible through traditional media, social media, FPL.com and the FPL app.
Additional resources
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 Power Tracker: FPL.com/powertracker
- FPL Power Tracker (Northwest Florida): FPL.com/mypowertracker
- FPL app: Download from the App Store or Google Play, or text the word “App” to MyFPL (69375)
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Florida Power & Light Company
As America’s largest electric utility, Florida Power & Light Company serves more customers and sells more power than any other utility, providing clean, affordable, reliable electricity to approximately 5.8 million accounts, or more than 12 million people. FPL operates one of the cleanest power generation fleets in the U.S. and in 2021 won the ReliabilityOne® National Reliability Award for the sixth time in the last seven years. The company received the top ranking in the southern U.S. among large electric providers, according to J.D. Power’s 2021 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM and 2021 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction StudySM. The company was also recognized in 2020 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Escalent for the seventh consecutive year. 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, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune’s 2022 list of “World’s Most Admired Companies” and recognized on Fortune’s 2021 list of companies that “Change the World.” NextEra Energy is also the parent company of 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.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
