"FPL
takes hurricane season very seriously and we prepare for it
year-round," says Keith Hardy, FPL's vice president of
Distribution.
Juno
Beach, FL (June 22, 2012) -- From Sarasota to Stuart, Miami to
Merritt Island, drivers may not think much about the orange signs
seen along Florida roadways warning of utility work ahead. However,
if a hurricane strikes in the coming months, this seemingly
insignificant work could help Florida
Power & Light Company better serve its
customers in these communities.
"FPL
takes hurricane season very seriously and we prepare for it
year-round," says Keith Hardy, FPL's vice president of
Distribution. “We are investing $200 million this year to
strengthen our electric grid, replace poles and improve reliable
service. This is one of the ways we help prepare the communities we
serve.”
Following
the unprecedented hurricane seasons of 2004-2005, FPL, under the
guidance of the Florida Public Service Commission, embarked on a
long-term infrastructure strengthening effort to help communities
better respond to severe weather. The work improves FPL’s service
reliability throughout the year, but Hardy says its greatest value
lies in its potential to help the utility restore power to customers
faster after a storm strikes.
“We
work closely with the governments, customers and first responders in
the 35 counties we serve to identify critical infrastructure –
facilities like hospitals, 911 centers, police and fire stations –
places that provide for the health and safety of the public,” says
Hardy. “We worked to improve the infrastructure around these
facilities first, as we know they provide essential services to our
communities.”
Since
2006, FPL has strengthened the electric grid serving many of the top
critical facilities in the state, and is now expanding its efforts to
include important thoroughfares – along with grocery stores,
pharmacies and service stations – that can help communities return
to “normalcy” faster. In these areas, FPL reinforces existing
utility poles with stronger wood or concrete poles, some of which
stand 55-feet tall and weigh more than 8,000 pounds. Stronger poles
are expected to improve restoration time as setting new poles takes
much more time than replacing downed wires.
”We
have 280 residents and patients – and that’s a lot of lives to be
responsible for,” says Carmen Shell, director of the Morse
Geriatric Center in West Palm Beach, one of the critical care
facilities FPL services. “Restoring power rapidly is the best thing
that can happen because not everything works on a generator.”
Hardy
reminds customers that hurricanes are devastating forces of nature,
and that in a serious storm there will be power outages, which could
be lengthy. He encourages customers to develop plans accordingly.
“While
no utility can be storm-proof,” says Hardy, “FPL’s ongoing
investments in line strengthening and storm readiness are designed to
help limit the impact of storms on the electric system and enable the
utility to restore service to customers faster when outages do
occur.”
Media
Contact:
FPL
Media Line
Florida
Power & Light Company
700
Universe Blvd.
Juno
Beach, FL 33408
305-552-3888
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