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Hurricane Michael: Power Companies Prepare For Possible Outages

As Hurricane Michael races toward the Panhandle, power companies serving northwest Florida are preparing for outages.

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ST. PETERSBURG, FL – As Hurricane Michael races toward the Panhandle, power companies serving northwest Florida are preparing for outages. Hurricane Michael is expected to be a category 4 hurricane at landfall Wednesday afternoon with 120 mph winds, life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall.

Gulf Power, which supplies electricity to many counties in northwest Florida, and Duke Energy, which serves the Big Bend area in the Panhandle along with Pinellas and Pasco counties, say they anticipate damage to their electrical infrastructure during Hurricane Michael and are warning residents to expect outages ranging from a few hours to a few days.

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Duke Energy senior meteorologist Max Thompson said the Panhandle won't be the only area impacted.

“Hurricane Michael is intensifying and poses a significant threat to the Florida Panhandle and will affect all of west central Florida,” Thompson said. “Some of our most populated service areas, such as Pinellas and Pasco counties, might have tropical storm-force winds and experience outages."

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He said the restoration of power depends on the cause of the outage, the ability for workers to get access to infrastructure in need of repair and whether it's safe enough to send workers out to make repairs, he said.

"Restoring power after a storm can be extremely challenging for utility repair crews, as travel and work conditions can be impacted by high winds and widespread flooding – making repair work lengthy and difficult," Thompson said.

Before bulk power can be restored, crews first must assess the extent of damage – which can take 24 hours or more – to determine which crews, equipment and supplies are needed before repairs can begin, he said.

"We ask our customers for their patience as outages might take time to restore.” Thompson said.

To ensure that Duke Energy is able to respond quickly to outages, Thompson said power utility crews and resources are being pre-staged in areas anticipated to be impacted by the hurricane.

In addition, line technicians and workers are checking equipment, supplies and inventories now to ensure adequate materials are available to make repairs and restore power outages.

Gulf Power is making similar preparations for Hurricane Michael, putting power crews in placed throughout the service area for a fast response, said Gordon Paulus, Gulf Power spokesman.

“Customers should prepare for the possibility of losing power for an extended period when tropical storm to hurricane-force winds and storm surge or flooding occurs,” said Paulus, “We have our storm plans in place and are ready for any scenario.”

Nearly 1,200 Gulf Power employees and 330 Gulf Power contractors shift to storm duty roles to restore power when a storm hits to ensure power is restored as quickly and safely as possible for their customers, he said. The company has also lined up assistance from other energy providers. Already, more than 1,350 outside resources have been secured to assist with restoration and more are available if needed.

This is the third storm to hit Northwest Florida this year. In May, Pensacola experienced subtropical storm Alberto, the first named storm of what has proven to be a busy storm season. And in September, Gulf Power crews restored power to 26,000 customers after Tropical Storm Gordon lashed the area.

“Our crews were able to restore 26,000 customers from Tropical Storm Gordon within a day in a half,” Paulus said. “We train year round for these types of scenarios. That training and developing of skills has really paid off in helping us quickly and safely get our customers’ power back on.”

Florida Power & Light provides power in Sarasota County and parts of Manatee County.

The company is prepositioning more than 1,350 employees and contractors along the West Coast and the northern parts of the company’s service area to restore power to customers that may be affected.

FPL is also opening staging sites, which position crews and critical equipment and supplies near the hardest-hit areas.

“Although we are hopeful that Hurricane Michael will not directly impact our service area, our team stands at the ready to restore power safely and quickly for our customers and help others to do the same for their customers,” said Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL. “This includes preparing to move our workers and equipment to the areas where they may be most needed. We appreciate Gov. Rick Scott’s forward-leaning decision to declare a state of emergency days before the storm hits, which helps FPL and other electric providers prepare and restore power more quickly and efficiently.”

He noted that, while FPL service areas may not get a direct hit from Michael, tropical storm-force winds may extend 195 miles from the center of the storm and tornadoes are always possible. FPL customers along the West Coast and in the northern part of the company’s service area may experience damaging wind and heavy rainfall from quick moving feeder bands.

Outage Reporting

Before the storm hits, customers should note how to report power outages. Customers who experience an outage during the storm can report it by:

Duke Energy

Gulf Power

  • To get the latest updates on outages, customers can download Gulf Power’s app and access the outage map for the latest restoration information. The app is free and available for iPhone and Android. Just search for “Gulf Power” in iTunes or the Google Play Store.
  • Customers can follow Gulf Power updates on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
  • Sign up for free PowerOut alerts through your cell phone by texting REG to MyGulf (694853). Or, visit your Profile in the My Account area of MyGulfPower.com to choose whether to receive texts alerts, emails or phone calls with outage updates.
  • Gulf Power knows when your power is out. However, you can call 1-800-487-6937 if you have any questions about your outage.

Florida Power & Light

TECO

Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative

Lakeland Electric

Image via Gulf Power

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