JUNO BEACH, Fla. – As Eta strengthens and moves closer to the state, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is finalizing preparations to restore service safely and as quickly as possible and urges customers to prepare now for possible power outages.
“This has been an unprecedented hurricane season as it tied with 2005 for the most named storms in recorded history and it is not yet over, as Eta is expected to strengthen into a strong tropical storm as it moves closer to South Florida,” said Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL. “FPL has deployed personnel and contractors five times this hurricane season to provide mutual assistance for hurricanes that struck outside our service area. In fact, 1,700 of our dedicated employees and contractors just returned home after restoring power in six southeastern states after Hurricane Zeta, and are now preparing to safely and quickly restore any outages caused by Eta.”
FPL anticipates that a large portion of its service area from the Treasure Coast to Miami-Dade County and areas throughout Southwest Florida could feel the effects of Eta and potentially experience power outages. Tropical storm-force winds and heavy rainfall is expected to extend a significant distance from the center of Eta, causing trees, other vegetation and flying debris to potentially damage FPL equipment.
“While the ultimate track and intensity of Eta still remains uncertain, we are actively preparing for anything this storm might bring our way,” added Silagy. “This is the second storm of the season to directly affect the southern peninsula. Storms are nature’s way of clearing debris and it’s likely that flying debris and falling trees will cause outages and restoration challenges. Following severe weather, our crews must cut away trees and other vegetation that have fallen into power lines, or that are in the way, to find and fix damage safely and as quickly as possible. If you see crews at work, please remember to maintain proper social distancing for your safety and theirs.”
As a reminder, most counties in the storm’s path will suspend trash and debris pickup before a storm. Please do not trim trees now, as high winds can turn cut branches into dangerous, flying debris. However, if you already have trimmed trees, please help to prevent outages by tying down or securing loose branches or other debris.
In response to the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, our plan includes many precautionary measures for the safety of our customers and our restoration workforce. This includes daily health screenings for restoration personnel and adjusting the layout of staging sites where large numbers of restoration workers gather to allow for as much social distancing as possible and adding more micro-staging sites.
“We know that our customers are counting on us now more than ever,” said Silagy. “We are mobilizing and pre-positioning our restoration workforce, so these brave men and women can quickly start working as soon as it is safe to do so. We are requesting additional restoration personnel from the industry to support us as we have supported them. Our commitment to our customers has not changed despite COVID-19: We will work around the clock and we won’t stop until we get the lights back on for every single customer.”
FPL urges customers to review their family and business emergency plans, keep a close watch on the development of the storm and heed warnings and evacuation orders by local, state and federal elected officials. Preparation and safety tips are available at FPL.com/Storm.
What we’re doing
At FPL, we’re finalizing preparations for the impact of Eta:
- We’re mobilizing and pre-positioning our restoration workforce, so they can quickly start working as soon as it is safe to do so. Nearly 10,000 personnel are committed to the effort and we are working to secure more.
- We have reallocated additional resources within the company to help speed the restoration effort.
- We’ve prepared to position our crews at more than 20 sites throughout our service area to speed restoration.
- We are coordinating our response with county and state emergency operations centers.
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 blog: FPLblog.com
- FPL Power Tracker: FPL.com/powertracker
- FPL app: Download from the App Store or Google Play, or text the word “App” to MyFPL (69375)
B-Roll: https://fpl.sharefile.com/d-s37a1829768e0430
###
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 5.1 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% lower than the latest national average and among the lowest in the U.S. FPL’s service reliability is better than 99.98%, and its highly fuel-efficient power plant fleet is one of the cleanest among all electric companies nationwide. The company was recognized in 2020 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Escalent for the seventh consecutive year. A leading Florida employer with approximately 8,900 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 2020 list of “World’s Most Admired Companies.” NextEra Energy is also the parent company of Gulf Power Company, which serves approximately 470,000 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