Gov. Scott Offers Utility Companies Additional Push Crews to Aid in Power Restoration

Governor Rick Scott today offered each utility in Florida the additional federal push crews to augment the ability of power restoration workers to reach communities allowing them to restore power faster. Normally, power restoration workers remove downed trees and debris that is blocking their path when completing a power restoration mission. The push crews will go in advance of utility crews and clear their paths so the utilities can focus solely on getting power restored. These crews are being provided through a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and the Florida State Emergency Response Team (SERT) and will be funded through Governor Scott’s emergency order.

Governor Scott today also requested assistance from Manny Miranda, Florida Power and Light’s Senior Vice President of Power Delivery, to advise and assist the state’s power restoration efforts. Manny will be traveling to Tallahassee where he will serve as a liaison between the state and FEMA to help provide technical support and assistance. Most recently, Manny worked to help restore power in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria and will be stationed in the State Emergency Operations Center.

Governor Scott said, “Restoring power in our communities quickly is one of the most vital things we can do to help families get back on their feet. These additional crews will help get utility restoration workers into our communities faster, so they can do their jobs and bring back the power. We hope that every utility acts quickly and takes advantage of this offer for assistance. I appreciate Manny’s willingness to come and help. We must do everything we can to get the lights back soon.”

Also, to help restore power faster, Florida SERT made first responder fueling depots available to utility crews across the Panhandle. This helps ensure that utility restoration trucks have the fuel they need so they can restore power faster.

In 2016, following Hurricane Hermine, Governor Scott set an expectation that each utility company in Florida have mutual aid agreements in place to save time during mass power outages. These agreements define roles and responsibilities during power outages so Floridians are better protected and power can be restored quickly. Before the Governor set this expectation in 2016, only approximately 60 percent of utility companies in Florida had agreements in place, now, prior to Hurricane Michael making landfall, more than 90 percent of utilities in Florida had existing mutual aid agreements.

For information on power restoration and how many power restoration workers each utility company has in the field click HERE.