Through the American Public Power Association mutual aid network, the Florida Municipal Electric Association has arranged for 440 power restoration personnel from 14 states to assist Florida public power communities following Hurricane Michael. Tree resources, including another 100 personnel and trucks, have also been secured. [Read more…] about Hurricane Michael Public Power Prep Update
Public Power
Florida Municipal Electric Association Statement Regarding Public Power Preparation for Hurricane Michael
Statement by Amy Zubaly, Executive Director of Florida Municipal Electric Association, regarding Public Power Preparation for Hurricane Michael:
“Public power utilities in the Florida Panhandle are bracing for the impacts of Hurricane Michael, which will make landfall sometime Wednesday afternoon as a potential Category 3 hurricane. Currently, the Florida public power utilities of Tallahassee, Havana, Chattahoochee, Quincy and Blountstown are all in the potential impact zone.
In preparation for the storm, the Florida Municipal Electric Association activated the American Public Power Association mutual aid network and, once again, the response from across the country has been tremendous. By tonight, we will have approximately 125 power restoration personnel pre-staged in Tallahassee.
Crews from public power utilities across Florida (about 90 personnel from 10 utilities), Tennessee (21 personnel from three utilities), and Lafayette, Louisiana (14 personnel), will be arriving in Tallahassee this evening. More crews from other public power utilities in Florida (another 60+ personnel once cleared from their own potential impact), as well as more than 200 personnel from Indiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri and Texas are planning to make their way toward Tallahassee for a Thursday arrival, with many other utilities and states still gathering their available resources. Additionally, crews in Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas are on standby for us once they are cleared from threats to their own areas. Those crews are prepared to assist with any impacts to Quincy, Blountstown, Havana and Chattahoochee, as well as additional support for Tallahassee if needed.
We appreciate the outpouring of support from our fellow public power communities throughout the United States. These crews leave their homes and families to work in challenging, sometimes dangerous, situations. We will be forever grateful.”
Power Restored to 99 Percent of Public Power Customers Statewide
The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) today reported that 99 percent of the state’s municipal electric utility customers have had their power restored following the devastation of Hurricane Irma. Approximately 18,500 municipal electric customers remain without power in Alachua, Duval, Marion, Monroe and Polk Counties.
With Hurricane Irma coming onshore in the Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm, Monroe County was the hardest hit and will take the longest to fully restore. Crews continue to work tirelessly to bring all Monroe County public power customers back online as soon as possible. Additional crews and resources have been sent to assist Keys Energy Services with their restoration efforts.
Municipal electric utilities with customers who remain without power are also assessing individual situations in their areas. Some customers without power may have sustained damage to their homes and businesses preventing power restoration. Any homes or businesses with damage to their weatherheads must first have those repaired or replaced by an electrician before power can be restored.
As of 12 p.m., FMEA reported the following county-by-county power outage information for its municipal utility members:
The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) represents the unified interests of 34 public power communities across the state, which provide electricity to more than 3 million of Florida’s residential and business consumers.
