Gulf Power Putting Plan In Place As Isaac Threatens

August 25, 2012

Gulf Power is gathering up a cavalry of utility workers to ride to the aid of Northwest Florida should Hurricane Isaac make landfall here next week.

More than 700 workers from neighboring utilities have been recruited so far to help Gulf Power remove downed trees and restore electric service if Isaac invades the region.

“We have a storm-tested restoration plan and we’re preparing for widespread power outages if Isaac comes ashore anywhere within our service area,” said Jeff Rogers with Gulf Power. “We are activating our emergency operations center and each of our employees have storm assignments to help restore service as quickly and safely as possible.” Rogers said it ’s too early to predict exactly where Isaac will land or how long power may be out, but that Gulf Power was preparing as if Isaac will be a strong storm making a direct hit.

“Once the storm enters the Gulf of Mexico we will have a better idea of areas at risk. Needless to say, we are preparing for the worst and will be assigning our employees to the areas within our service territory that are hardest hit.” Gulf Power urges residents to follow evacuation orders and to leave the area if they are not prepared for a lengthy recovery period.

“We ask for everyone’s patience and understanding. If Isaac makes landfall in our service area, our crews stand ready to work as quickly and as safely as possible to restore everyone’s power,” Rogers said.

Comments

2 Responses to “Gulf Power Putting Plan In Place As Isaac Threatens”

  1. Jane on August 26th, 2012 5:35 am

    This proves my theory that private enterprise is far more efficient that the government when it comes to getting stuff done. The government has to talk about it for weeks. Gulf Power talks about it ahead of time and gets in there and gets it done! They are very efficient and very good at what they do. Even after Ivan, when you consider the huge impact Ivan had here, Gulf Power did a fantastic job getting our power back on!

  2. JJ on August 25th, 2012 9:36 pm

    I will say that Gulf wrote the manual on storm restoration. They’re top tier when it comes to getting the lights back on.