EEI: Power restored to 95 percent of customers affected by Hurricane Michael
The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) said Tuesday that the electric industry had restored power to approximately 95 percent of customers impacted by Hurricane Michael.
As of 6:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, EEI said, approximately 131,000 electricity customers were still without power. The majority of outages were located in the Florida Panhandle communities were hit directly by the hurricane. In these communities, entire sections of the energy grid may need to be rebuilt.
Approximately 35,000 workers from 27 states and Canada mobilized by investor-owned electric companies, public power utilities, and electric cooperatives have worked to restore power following the storm.
“This was a historic storm, and we continue to see a historic response from the crews who are working around-the-clock to restore power,” said Duane Highley, president and CEO of Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation and Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) Co-Chair. “Never before have so many workers been mobilized so quickly from across our industry, and workers continue to be redeployed to the hardest hit areas where, in many cases, the energy grid is being completely rebuilt.”
The CEO-led ESCC held a call Monday night to discuss the restoration efforts with Deputy Secretary of Energy (DOE) Dan Brouillette, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Under Secretary for National Protection and Programs Directorate Chris Krebs and other senior administration officials and executives from the electric power industry. The sector is also coordinating with its manufacturing partners and supplier networks to meet material needs.
“We appreciate the ongoing leadership from DOE, DHS, and FEMA in helping to coordinate the industry’s response with federal, state, and local officials,” said ESCC Co-Chair Tom Fanning, chairman, president, and CEO of Atlanta-based Southern Company. “There is heartbreaking, utter devastation in the coastal communities. Our crews will continue to work around-the-clock to rebuild the energy grid and to restore power and hope to the customers and communities we are so privileged to serve.”
