Florida’s Municipal Electric Utilities are Preparing for Hurricane Irma

The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) has activated its mutual aid network and is lining up crews to restore power to areas that will be affected by Hurricane Irma.
Florida’s public power utilities already account for approximately 1,000 lineworker personnel. Additionally, FMEA is bringing in more than 1,000 lineworkers and hundreds of tree-trimming and debris removal personnel from other parts of the country. Crews will be coming from Texas, Nebraska, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, and across New England. Once the storm passes, additional crews from Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas will also be pulled in.
“Hurricane Irma is a storm like none other we’ve seen and it will cause catastrophic property damage and widespread power outages in many parts of our state,” said Amy Zubaly, FMEA executive Director. “With many lessons learned during last year’s hurricane season, we are preparing for the worst. We are already bringing in thousands of resources, with many more on the way, so that we can start restoring power as quickly, as safely, and to as many people as possible.”
Mutual Aid Agreements enable municipal utilities to call on each other for emergency workers and supplies. Florida’s public power utilities benefit from this strong network of partners within Florida and across the country through the American Public Power Association. Florida’s municipal electric utilities also have forged mutual aid arrangements with Florida’s investor-owned utilities. These dependable connections have created a reliable system where member utilities both request and offer assistance.