Preparing for a hurricane in a pandemic Bart Gaetjens External - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Preparing for a hurricane in a pandemic Bart Gaetjens External Affairs Manager Florida Power & Light Company FPL is the largest energy company in the state 35 counties 661 substations 75,000 miles of power lines transformers 925,950
Bart Gaetjens External Affairs Manager Florida Power & Light Company
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FPL is the largest energy company in the state substations
miles of power lines
poles and structures
customer accounts counties
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Flori lorida da
VAST MAJORITY OF CUSTOMERS LIVE WITHIN 20 MILES OF COAST
We have been aggressive in responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
We remain 100% committed to providing safe, reliable energy for our customers and state. This commitment has not -– and will not -– change.
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Hurricanes are an inevitable part of life in Florida
Hurricane
Hurricane
Irma 2017
Hurricane
Matthew 2016
Hurricane
Dorian 2019
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Preparing for storm events
FPL has a comprehensive emergency response plan that focuses on readiness, restoration and recovery » Year-round planning and training » Preparing the storm organization » Refining the restoration plan » Performing community outreach » Collaborations with key stakeholders » Conducting annual Storm Dry Run exercise to build bridges and remove barriers
» This year we will incorporate restoring power during a pandemic
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Corporate dry run June 22-26
► FPL conducts an annual storm dry run to test our
readiness, build bridges and remove barriers – ensuring successful storm restoration for our customers
» Company-wide annual exercise prior to start of hurricane season » Multiple-day event incorporating cross-functional exercises » Training approaches › Exercise the basics › Drill on new processes › Tabletop discussions » Collaboration with key external stakeholders › Department of Energy (DOE) › Edison Electric Institute (EEI) › Florida National Guard
Note: Photo was taken before the COVID-19 pandemic
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Channels
Traditional Media Social Media Email Customer Care Center Auto Voice Calls Mobile Website App Outreach Advertising
► Use multiple channels/methods for customer communications –
before, during and after storm
► News releases and daily press conferences ► Targeted ads and customer emails ► Media interviews and opportunities in hardest hit areas
► Use digital/face-to-face communications
► Social media for prep and safety messages, as well as restoration updates ► FPL app available from the App Store or Google Play ► Community response kiosks in hardest hit areas
► Provide daily emails/hourly updates to government portal
website – includes localized outage/restoration info
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Customer/stakeholder outreach and communication
Annual storm preparedness meetings with all EOCs Customer
meetings/ presentations Meet with local governments, third parties Provide safety tips after a power outage
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Since 2006, we have invested $5 billion into the grid to make it stronger and more storm-resilient
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Building a stronger and smarter energy grid helps prevent and reduce the duration of outages and restore power quicker
► Deployed more than 5 million
smart meters
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Predictive capabilities
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Assist in restoration efforts
► Installed more than 120,000
intelligent devices
► Established independent
diagnostic centers
Note: Photo taken before the COVID-19 pandemic
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Lessons learned from Hurricane Irma
Promoting Right Tree/Right Place Program Building on proven hardening investments Storm Secure Underground Program Enhancing restoration information to customers
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Lessons learned – 2019 storm season
► Hurricane Dorian threatened FPL’s territory, but did
not make direct landfall
► Flexibility of pre-deployed resources ► Storm rider plan ► Staging site challenges with an uncertain forecast
► Mutual assistance provided in 2019:
► Fires (California) ► Hurricane Barry (LA) ► Tornadoes (TX) ► Experiences reinforce FPL’s processes/initiatives
► Need well developed plan ► Pre-staging resources/materials ► Hardening beneficial
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Restoration process changes resulting from pandemic
► Every process requires review and revision ► Critical roles will require multiple teams at separate locations ► Maximize the use of working remote for some roles ► Less mutual aid/outside support may be available ► Reducing staging site personnel and increasing the number of
micro sites to minimize crew movement
► Increases in logistical support will be necessary (e.g., one
person per hotel room)
► Incorporate COVID testing at command centers and
temperature testing at staging sites (have pandemic PPE available)
► Mitigate certain impacts to restoration such as social
distancing, sanitizing and new PPE processes that will necessarily occur as a result of a pandemic
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