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 Serving Se ving mor more than e than half half poles and structures 1.3 million of of F Flori lorida da 5 million + customer accounts VAST MAJORITY OF CUSTOMERS LIVE WITHIN 20 MILES OF COAST 2
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.
Hurricanes are an inevitable part of life in Florida Hurricane Hurricane Hurricane Hurricane Dorian Matthew Irma Michael 2019 2016 2017 2018 4
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 5
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 Note: Photo was taken before the COVID-19 » Training approaches pandemic › 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 6
Customer/stakeholder outreach and communication ► Use multiple channels/methods for customer communications – before, during and after storm ► News releases and daily press conferences Advertising ► Targeted ads and customer emails Traditional Outreach Media ► Media interviews and opportunities in hardest hit areas ► Use digital/face-to-face communications Mobile Channels Social Website ► Social media for prep and safety messages, as well as restoration updates Media App ► FPL app available from the App Store or Google Play ► Community response kiosks in hardest hit areas Auto Voice Email Calls ► Provide daily emails/hourly updates to government portal Customer Care website – includes localized outage/restoration info Center 7
Customer/stakeholder outreach and communication Annual storm Customer Meet with local Provide safety preparedness outreach governments, tips after a meetings with all meetings/ third parties power outage EOCs presentations 8
Since 2006, we have invested $5 billion into the grid to make it stronger and more storm-resilient 9
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 Predictive capabilities » Assist in restoration efforts » ► Installed more than 120,000 intelligent devices ► Established independent Note: Photo taken before the COVID-19 pandemic diagnostic centers 10
Lessons learned from Hurricane Irma Building on Enhancing restoration Promoting Right Storm Secure proven hardening information to Tree/Right Place Underground Program investments customers Program 11
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 12
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 13
Questions? 14
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