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Tomorrow, June 8th, Governor Rick Scott will highlight the importance of getting prepared for the upcoming hurricane season and discuss ways families and businesses can get a plan.
WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: 4:30 PM
WHERE: Key West City Hall
1300 White St
Key West, FL 33040
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Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam today hosted a hurricane preparedness round table discussion in Fort Myers.
Among the participants were: Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto, Representative Dane Eagle, Lee County Undersheriff Carmine Marceno, Fort Myers Fire Chief John Caufield, Lee County Commission Chair Cecil Pendergrass, Sanibel Mayor Kevin Ruane, Lee County Emergency Management Director Lee Mayfield, Lee County Assistant Manager Christine Brady, Fort Myers Fire Department Emergency Management Specialist Judith Hartwell, and Major Glenn Kramer with the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement.
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The Florida Public Service Commission today set its plan to review electric utility hurricane preparedness and restoration actions during the 2017 hurricane season. The review will explore the potential to further minimize infrastructure damage that results in outages.
A generic docket will be established to collect and analyze forensic data on the utilities’ transmission and distribution facilities to discern the type and cause of damage. Tree trimming practices and pole inspection cycles will be reviewed to help identify additional damage mitigation options. The Commission will also examine the effectiveness of communications with customers and the utilities’ restoration practices for potential improvements.
This extensive data collection and detailed analysis will include a workshop on hurricane preparedness with input from all electric utilities and stakeholders, including customers. Upon the conclusion of data collection and analysis, and consideration of public comment, the Commission will consider options for immediate action.
In addition, as part of this process, the Commission will provide customers an opportunity to provide comments through its website, www.floridapsc.com.
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Forecasters predict yet another unpredictable Hurricane Season is on the way! One sure thing is that the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) has the tools to help you plan for any possible storms this Hurricane Season: June 1 through November 30.
“Florida utilities’ storm response and restoration times have greatly improved due to ongoing hurricane preparedness initiatives. But, storm preparation is still key for residents,” said PSC Chairman Julie Brown. “You can get started by visiting the PSC’s website. We have many helpful storm preparation materials.”
To begin your plan, tour the PSC’s “Hurricane House.” This online guide, available in English and Spanish, includes 19 tips to help prepare your family and your home for severe weather. Tips include everything from planning an evacuation route, to installing carbon monoxide detectors and dealing with downed power lines. The PSC’s website also features a consumer tip that details how to make a hurricane kit, as well as a storm preparation consumer tip.
Florida’s electric utilities and the Division of Emergency Management (DEM) updated the PSC on their storm preparation efforts on April 20, 2017. (Copies of their presentations are here.) After a hurricane-free decade, Florida felt the impacts from a few storms last year. Both the utilities and DEM reported that lessons learned and new technologies helped them prepare for the 2017 Hurricane Season, and they are ready should a storm reach Florida’s shores.
The CEOs of Florida’s five investor-owned utilities, along with executives from the Florida Electric Cooperatives Association, the Florida Municipal Electric Association, and DEM, also discussed how customer needs are met during and after storm-related events, including communication and restoration efforts.
Utility storm plans are designed to minimize electrical outages and help communities, businesses, and families return to normalcy as quickly as possible. The plans include PSC-mandated storm preparedness initiatives; facility inspections; maintenance and repairs; flooding and storm surge mitigation; wooden pole inspections; and coordination with other utilities, government, and community groups.
For more information on storm safety and storm-hardening tips, visit the PSC’s website, www.floridapsc.com, and the Division of Emergency Management’s website.
Follow the PSC on Twitter, @floridapsc.
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