"Our
electric workers are our first responders, consistently answering the
call for help, whether it's working to upgrade our electrical system
on a daily basis or leading the charge after a storm," said
Keith Hardy, FPL's vice president of Distribution.
Juno
Beach, FL (August 22, 2012) -- As the 20th anniversary of
Hurricane Andrew is observed, Florida Power & Light Company is
paying special tribute to the members of its team whose work is
critical to providing reliable power year-round and in the wake of
devastating storms - electrical workers.
Karl
Greer, an FPL electric worker based in South Florida, knows the
importance of having a plan and being prepared because Greer rode out
Hurricane Andrew 20 years ago with his family in Homestead, the
storm’s ground zero. After the storm, he worked 16-hour shifts
alongside thousands of FPL employees until power was fully restored.
“We
put up wires and poles for a living, but the need I saw after
Hurricane Andrew was unlike anything that I had ever witnessed,”
said Greer. “Andrew taught us all a vital lesson about the
seriousness of storms, and the need for serious preparation.”
Greer's
experience during Andrew was like many in the region. At 12:35 a.m.,
his power went out, and the noise of the wind and debris against the
shutters grew so loud that he and his family could barely hear their
own voices. When daylight arrived, he went outside to find his roof
in tatters, and each of the 29 mature pine trees in his yard fallen.
His uncle’s home on a neighboring property, once a two story
residence, had been cut in half, with only the bottom floor
remaining.
However,
Greer had to put aside his personal challenges, because duty called.
“The roads were all blocked, but as soon as I could I was at FPL
with my crew, getting the power back on,” said Greer. “In one
area, we replaced every single pole along a 6-mile stretch. It was
tough, but what kept me going was the thought that my friends and
family were counting on us; people all throughout the area were
counting on us.”
The
efforts of electric workers and other dedicated employees after
Hurricane Andrew helped to improve FPL’s preparations for storms
and the recovery that follows. The strategies employed to create
restoration staging areas to coordinate with out-of-state service
providers to assist with field operations were formed by experiences
in Hurricane Andrew.
“Our
electric workers are our first responders, consistently answering the
call for help, whether it’s working to upgrade our electrical
system on a daily basis or leading the charge after a storm,” said
Keith Hardy, FPL’s vice president of Distribution. “We are
showing our appreciation by celebrating throughout August, especially
on Sunday Aug. 26, Lineworker Appreciation Day in Florida.”
To
hear more from FPL electric workers that were on the ground during
Hurricane Andrew, visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_5-obibfjg&feature=youtu.be
About
Florida Power & Light Company
Florida
Power & Light Company is the largest electric utility in Florida
and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States.
FPL serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is a leading
employer in the state with approximately 10,000 employees. The
company consistently outperforms national averages for service
reliability while customer bills are below the national average. A
clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and
one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities
nationwide. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla. - based NextEra
Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit
http://www.FPL.com.
Media
Contact:
FPL
Media Line
Florida
Power & Light Company
700
Universe Blvd.
Juno
Beach, FL 33408
Tel:
305-552-3888
E-Mail:
amelia.gomez@rbbpr.com
Web:
To hear more from FPL electric workers that were on the ground during
Hurricane Andrew, visit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_5-obibfjg&feature=youtu.be
