The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) has once again assembled public power crews from across the state to aid with power restoration efforts in anticipation of the winter storm projected to produce widespread impacts across the South and Southern Mid-Atlantic regions beginning tomorrow.
Seventy-five (75) personnel from five Florida Public Power utilities are deploying today to South Carolina in advance of the snow and ice storm that is expected to cause power outages. All Florida Public Power crews will be assisting public power utility Santee Cooper, South Carolina’s largest power provider and the source of electricity for 2 million people across the state.
JEA in Jacksonville will be sending four line crews and equipment, while Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) will be sending four crews, including two lineworker crews and two tree crews. Both Orlando Utilities Commission and Kissimmee Utility Authority will send two crews from their respective utilities. Beaches Energy Services (Jacksonville Beach) will send one crew from their team.
“Our hearts go out to those facing the approach of another intense winter storm,” said Amy Zubaly, FMEA Executive Director. “We deeply appreciate the crews who are responding at a moment’s notice and deploying immediately in preparation for Winter Storm Jasper. Our thanks also to JEA and Orlando Utilities Commission for deploying mutual aid crews for the second time in less than a week.”
Last week, FMEA coordinated mutual aid to assist with power restoration following Winter Storm Izzy, which dumped heavy snow and produced ice accumulations in several regions of the country. FMEA sent more than 50 public power personnel from three Florida Public Power utilities to parts of Virginia and North Carolina to assist with power restoration. Answering the call for mutual aid over last week’s holiday weekend were JEA, Orlando Utilities Commission and the City of Tallahassee.
Mutual aid agreements enable electric utilities to call on each other for skilled emergency workers and supplies. Mutual aid can extend beyond fellow public power utilities to both rural electric cooperatives and investor-owned utilities.
Public power utilities across the country benefit from the strong network of mutual assistance partners through the American Public Power Association. These connections have created a reliable system where member utilities both request and offer assistance when there’s a need. FMEA is proud to serve as the mutual aid coordinator for Florida’s 33 public power utilities.
For more information on FMEA and Florida’s Public Power communities, please visit www.flpublicpower.com.
The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) represents the unified interests of 33 public power communities across the state, which provide electricity to more than 3 million of Florida’s residential and business consumers.
