Published On: September 2nd, 2019Categories: Uncategorized

Florida’s Treasure Coast braces for Hurricane Dorian with the help of faith

Some in St. Lucie and Indian River Counties embrace their faith as a cornerstone in their plan for Hurricane Dorian.

Some in St. Lucie and Indian River Counties embrace their faith as a cornerstone in their plan for Hurricane Dorian.

A quick summary of FPL’s 11 a.m. Monday briefing before Hurricane Dorian’s Florida landing: the utility is ready to repair, but doesn’t know anything other than your power outages might be long and repeated.

And, after workers can see how much damage Dorian did, FPL will try to let you know within 24 hours when you’ll have your power back.

As of Monday afternoon at 1:35 p.m., 2,085 FPL customers around Florida didn’t have power. How much of that could be credited to pre-Dorian wind gusts — if any — can’t be properly gauged.

About 17,000 people wait at about 12 staging sites around Florida to see where they’ll have to go. Or if they have to go anywhere.

“The biggest thing we’re seeing with Hurricane Dorian is the slow path and the unpredictableness,” FPL Public Information Officer Dave Reuter said. “The only thing predictable about Hurricane Dorian at this point is its unpredictableness. The speed of the storm slowing down as it went over the Bahamas — if anything, we expected we might be seeing some tropical storm force winds by this point already, but that’s been pushed off until later today.

Reuter said Dorian’s capricious nature makes predicting how many customers will lose power and for how long an impossible task.

A slow storm allows more time for destruction, including trees and debris over power lines, so “customers should prepare for potentially prolonged outages and, possibly, more than one outage,” Reuter said. “Workers will operate bucket trucks to restore service only in between bands of severe weather as long as winds are below 35 mph and conditions are safe.”

After the storm, FPL says it wants to be able to tell customers when 95 percent of their area will have electricity again. But that won’t come until 24 hours after crews are able to evaluate the damage in each area.

“That’s 24 hours from the point at which we’re actually able to get an assessment of the damage,” Reuter said. “If there’s floods, if there aren’t ways to get to all of the damage because there might be trees or debris in the way, that will slow down our ability to give that forecast.”

Reuter also reminded customers:

Move over a lane or slow to 20 mph when driving past first responders, law enforcement or FPL workers.

Downed power lines can be reported via 911; calling 1-800-4OUTAGE (468-8243); or using the FPL app.

Since 1989, David J. Neal’s domain at the Miami Herald has expanded to include writing about Panthers (NHL and FIU), Dolphins, old school animation, food safety, fraud, naughty lawyers, bad doctors and all manner of breaking news. He drinks coladas whole. He does not work Indianapolis 500 Race Day.




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