Hurricane Season Begins Today — FPL Says Northwest Florida's Grid Is Stronger but Preparation Still Essential

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Hurricane season officially opens today — and FPL says it is ready. But Vice President and General Manager JT Young says customer preparation is just as important as utility readiness.

FPL completed a full storm response simulation in recent weeks — running through logistics, power delivery coordination, and mutual aid activation with employees across its storm response teams. Young says the utility has cooperative agreements in place that can bring thousands of additional crews into the area depending on the size and duration of a storm. He says the goal is always to restore power as safely and quickly as possible.

On the infrastructure side Young says FPL has improved grid reliability in Northwest Florida by more than 60 percent over the last six to seven years. That improvement comes from replacing more than 250 miles of main line poles with steel and concrete, placing 90 miles of lines underground in certain neighborhoods, and installing more than 9,000 smart devices on lines that can automatically sense outages and reroute power without ever dispatching a crew. Young says that technology is why customers sometimes see their power flicker and restore within seconds.

For customers Young's preparedness checklist includes knowing your evacuation zone, stocking batteries and water, and making plans now for pets and elderly family members. He also flagged generator safety as a critical reminder — never use a generator in any enclosed space including a carport. Even partial enclosure can be deadly.

After a storm if you see downed lines or damaged equipment treat everything as live, don't touch anything, and call 9-1-1. Young says crews will be staged and ready to respond as quickly as conditions allow.

Storm preparedness tips and resources are available at fpl.com/storm. Download the FPL app by texting the word app to 69375.