As Florida prepares itself for the impact of Hurricane Milton, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is also gearing up, readying to restore power swiftly to the Sunshine State. As per WSVN, hundreds of FPL trucks have positioned themselves at the Miami-Dade Youth Fairgrounds, poised to scatter across storm-hit areas when called upon. "We have 17,000 men and women throughout Florida. They're ready to respond while it's safe to do so, even in between feeder bands," FPL spokesperson Bianca Soriano declared.
Furthermore, teams from across the nation are converging on Florida to assist with the expected outages. These include linemen and women from states as distant as Washington and California. In anticipation of the storm's onslaught, FPL's workforce has been bolstered by crews from 37 different states, according to information shared by CBS News. FPL President and CEO Armando Pimentel cautioned, "Customers need to be prepared. This storm will bring extended outages."
The urgency of FPL's operations cannot be overstated, as the memory of Hurricane Helene's damage remains fresh. Soriano noted the current challenges, saying, "There’s water in the ground, there’s saturation, there’s strong wind, as you see, and so, we just really ask our customers to be patient." FPL's strategy includes the pre-positioning of crews along with equipment and supplies to enable a rapid response once conditions permit, according to WVSN.
Residents are cautioned to expect delays in power restoration, particularly in regions likely to suffer significant damage. The combination of saturated grounds and additional storm debris presents an obstacle that has to be dealt with even before the restoration efforts can properly commence. Soriano underscored the commitment of the FPL crews in her statement to WSVN: "We’re not going to stop working while it’s safe to do so before, during and after Milton, and we’re going to continue to work until every single customer has their lights back on."
Residents experiencing outages are encouraged to report them through FPL's channels. They can download the FPL app or visit fpl.com/storm for updates. Those without digital access can call 1-800-4OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) to report outages. As Hurricane Milton approaches, FPL and its support network are preparing to quickly restore electricity to homes and businesses affected by the storm.
