FPL prepares 13K-person workforce to respond to Hurricane Ian

Image via Doug Murray/FPL.

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is mobilizing a 13,000-member strong workforce to respond to the impact of Hurricane Ian in the days ahead.

With the storm expected to impact Florida’s west coast at or near Category 3 strength, Ian will likely cause significant damage and could affect power supply to millions of Floridians.

“As this storm approaches Florida, we know our customers are counting on us and we are determined to meet this challenge,” said Eric Silagy, Chairman and CEO of FPL.

“We are mobilizing and pre-positioning our restoration workforce, so these brave men and women can quickly start working as soon as it is safe to do so. We have more than 13,000 personnel dedicated to the effort and we are making sure we’re ready to respond, regardless of Ian’s final path. We’re urging customers to finalize their preparations and make safety their top priority.”

The strong winds and rain could begin as soon as Tuesday evening and last through Thursday or Friday. That’s led FPL to prep ahead of time to have its workers ready to go.

In addition to getting the 13,000 personnel in place, FPL is also setting up effective staging sites for those impacted by the storm, getting equipment and supplies in place ahead of time, and finalizing response plans with county and state emergency operations centers.

“As Ian’s outer bands begin to affect customers, FPL will restore power as long as it’s safe to do so,” read a release from the company ahead of Ian’s impact.

“During the storm, FPL will use smart grid technology to remotely restore power to customers where possible. Immediately following the hurricane, once winds drop below 35 miles per hour, FPL will continue restoration and conduct damage assessments with field crews. These assessments, which include data gathered from a fleet of drones, help us assign the right resources to each geographical region and give customers an accurate estimate of when we will complete restoration in each region.”

FPL is also providing a graphic to help residents stay safe during the storm.