- April 24, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
Duke Energy Florida is mobilizing approximately 7,000 line workers, tree professionals, and damage assessment and support personnel to safe locations where they are prepared to respond to outages once Hurricane Irma reaches Florida.
Assistance from across the United States and Canada, including company resources from the Midwest, is on the way to assist with restoration efforts. Crews and equipment will be staged close to Florida on Saturday and Sunday. The staging area affords rapid response but provides enough distance to ensure the safety of crews and resources.
Duke Energy – through the Southeastern Electric Exchange, a mutual assistance organization – has agreements with other utilities and contract companies to ensure the necessary resources can be brought to Florida from throughout the Southeast.
“Due to the tremendous size and strength of the hurricane, our No. 1 concern is the safety of our customers and crews,” said Luis Ordaz, Duke Energy Florida storm director. “Hurricane Irma is a major storm capable of causing significant damage. As we prepare to respond, it’s important our customers take Hurricane Irma seriously and ensure their families are safe.”
In addition to making safety a priority, customers should also prepare for significant, widespread power outages. Despite extensive system improvements and rigorous tree trimming, strong winds, wind-blown debris and flooding can cause power outages. After the hurricane has passed and conditions are safe for travel, workers will be deployed immediately to make repairs and restore electric service as safely and quickly as possible.
