As residents in the state of Florida and along the Eastern Seaboard are feeling the effects of Hurricane Matthew, a life-threatening Category 3 storm, Gulf Power crews are deploying to help restore power to the storm-affected areas. Much of east Florida is already under a hurricane watch or warning as residents brace for the biggest storm to hit Florida in 10 years.
A 76-person storm team will depart Saturday morning to Georgia to aid crews in storm restoration after a state of emergency has been declared in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina. A team is also available to travel to affected areas in Florida if needed.
In Florida, mandatory evacuations have been ordered along the coast with Governor Rick Scott urging residents to prepare for the deadly storm. Mandatory evacuations have been issued for parts of South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia.
“Matthew has already proven itself to be a powerful and deadly storm,” said Rick DelaHaya, Gulf Power spokesperson. “It’s going to be a monumental effort restoring power to customers affected, but once it’s safe, our crews will be ready to help our sister company Georgia Power and other Florida utilities get the power back on.”
This is the second time in less than six weeks that Gulf Power crews have been deployed to help in storm restoration. Over the Labor Day weekend, crews were dispatched to Georgia and Tallahassee, Florida following the destruction left behind by Hurricane Hermine. Crews worked day and night alongside Tallahassee and other assisting crews to help restore power to more than 100,000 residents.
“Our crews are well trained and prepared to restore power quickly and safely, whether here at home or for our neighbors,” added DelaHaya. “Our crews have traveled more than 30 times since 2008 assisting power restoration efforts across the country after storms such as Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and after the devastating tornadoes that hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 2011.”
With crews deployed and the potential for widespread outages across Florida and the Southeast, the Line Worker Expo scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 8 has been postponed.
“Our line worker crews are first responders and their focus right now will be power restoration for our neighbors in need,” said DelaHaya.
Follow our crews progress on Gulf Power’s Facebook page.
MEDIA Advisory:
The Gulf Power crews will deploy from various company locations including Pensacola and Panama City on Saturday, Oct 8. Media interested in covering the deployment should contact Rick DelaHaya, Media Relations supervisor at 850-444-6433 or 318-294-2338, or Natalie Smith, Media Relations, at 850.444.6784 or 850.375.6123.
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Gulf Power is an investor-owned energy provider with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 450,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The company’s mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity while strengthening our communities. Visit online at MyGulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page. News information can be found at GulfPowerNews.com.
Media Contacts:
Jeff Rogers
Corporate Communications Manager
850-444-6243, cell 850-572-5511
Rick DelaHaya
Media Relations Supervisor
850-444-6433, cell 318-294-2338
Natalie Smith
Media Relations
850-444-6784, cell 850-375-6123