Florida utilities urge customers to prepare for Tropical Storm Nicole

by | Nov 8, 2022



  • FPL says it is closely monitoring Nicole and making preparations to respond safely and as quickly as possible

  • Duke added that impacts may be felt broadly across the company’s service area
  • Both are urging customers to make preparations and take safety precautions now

Florida Power & Light (FPL) and Duke Energy Florida are urging its customers to closely monitor the approach of Tropical Storm Nicole and prepare for potential impacts on Florida in the coming days.

The latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center shows landfall as a hurricane along Florida’s east coast Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning. The sprawling storm is expected to take a turn and hit Florida’s east coast as a hurricane before it takes a run up the Eastern Seaboard. Meteorologists says that Nicole’s large size will likely result in Florida experiencing the storm’s impact well ahead of landfall.

The pair added that Nicole has the potential to bring damaging winds, heavy rain and localized flooding to service areas throughout Florida, and say its customers need to prepare ahead of the storm’s impact.

“We recognize our customers are experiencing storm season fatigue after Hurricane Ian, but it’s important to be vigilant and focused as this storm approaches,” said Eric Silagy, chairman and CEO of FPL. “Ian saturated soil and weakened trees in many parts of the state, so Nicole could cause trees to topple over and other vegetation and debris to blow into overhead power lines and equipment, which may cause outages. We know our customers are counting on us and we are following our proven plan to be ready to respond safely and as quickly as possible.”

In response to the impending storm, FPL has activated its emergency response plan for rapid restoration. Duke says it has also located crews and resources strategically throughout Florida, ensuring that equipment, supplies and inventories in all areas that could be impacted by the storm are available to make necessary repairs and restore power outages.

“As witnessed with Hurricane Ian, Duke Energy Florida is committed to restoring power as safely and quickly as possible,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “Should outages occur, our crews and contractors are ready to respond.”

While the storm is forecast to be weaker than Hurricane Ian, forecasts still show the potential for strong winds and heavy rain that could result in significant power outages throughout many parts of Florida. FPL and Duke noted that crews will begin power restoration as soon as conditions are safe to do so.

0 Comments