As Gulf Power customers continue to get their homes’ electrical equipment repaired, approximately 1,400 crew members are out in force 24/7 to get them reconnected to the power grid. Gulf Power has restored power to more than 99 percent of its customers, but nearly 13,000 are still unable to safely accept power. Since Friday, more than 1,500 customers’ power was restored after they made necessary home repairs so they could safely receive power.

Before customers call Gulf Power at 1-800-225-5797 to schedule a reconnect, they should contact a licensed electrician to make any necessary repairs and check with their city or county to see if any inspection is required prior to reconnecting power.

“Crews continue working 24/7 to reconnect customers who are ready to receive power and to rebuild the resiliency of our electric system,” said Adrianne Collins, vice president of Power Delivery for Gulf Power. “This is a long-term recovery effort for these impacted communities, and we’re committed to continuing our work to deliver safe and reliable electricity to all of our customers.”

Even though power has been restored to 99 percent of customers who can safely receive power, Gulf Power remains focused on rebuilding the electrical system back to pre-Hurricane Michael levels. While crews continue working on the system, customers might experience a higher than normal volume of unexpected outages. When these outages occur, customers are encouraged to visit the outage map for updates on power restoration.

Ongoing Restoration Activities Include

·         Gulf Power crews, alongside hundreds of lineworkers, service technicians, tree trimmers and support personnel, will continue to be in neighborhoods and along roadways working on the electric system.  Additional work includes –

o   Providing service to customers when their homes and businesses are safely ready to accept power.

o   Continued evaluation of the electric system to ensure safe and reliable electric service.

o   Making required repairs on equipment and power lines to restore the system to pre-storm operational conditions. 

o   Clearing and trimming additional trees and vegetation.

o   Cleaning up electric system debris.

o   Service technicians working to reconnect customers and work on electric meters.

o   Continue repairing and rebuilding our infrastructure and the communities we serve.

Preparing for Power

Gulf Power wants to ensure customers know what they can do now to ensure they can be safely connected at the earliest opportunity when power is restored to their area.  

·         Reconnect Service – Know what you need to repair – Homeowners and businesses are responsible for electrical equipment attached to the house (service stack, attachment hardware, riser and meter box). Gulf Power is responsible for the wire or service line to the house and the electric meter. If the homeowner’s equipment is damaged, repairs will be needed before Gulf Power can connect service. See this document or watch this video for more information.

·         Reconnect/Transfer Service – For customers who need to transfer their service due to Hurricane Michael, call 1-800-225-5797. The Account Establishment Charge will be waived for residential customers relocating within Gulf Power's service area due to Hurricane Michael. The AEC will also be waived when the customer reconnects service at the original premise location, following repairs or rebuilding. This does not apply to temporary service poles.

·         Disconnect Service – For customers who will no longer be able to safely take power due to severe damage from Hurricane Michael, call 1-800-225-5797 to disconnect your home.

·         Keep area near and around power poles clear of debris – As customers clean up from the storm, it is important to keep all debris at least 10 feet away from all electrical equipment, such as power wires and poles or the green padmount box on the ground (pictured here). It is especially important not to place debris on top of the green padmount box. This can make it difficult for lineworkers to perform connection work and can present a danger during debris removal.

Still no power? Check outdoor breakers.

If you don't have power but your neighbors do, and you don't have any damage to your home or electric service equipment, you may need to flip your outdoor breakers on. Your breakers are typically located below or next to your meter. Before flipping your breakers back on, if you have a generator, make sure it's disconnected. If your breakers automatically flip back off, you may have a problem and should contact a licensed electrician. Watch this video about your homes main circuit breakers.

Safety Tips

• Treat any downed wire as if it is energized because you can’t tell by looking if a downed wire is live or not. Telephone or cable television wires that are touching a power line could become energized and should also be avoided. For dangerous conditions, including downed power lines, please call 911 or 1-800-487-6937.
• Standing water (puddles from flooding) may be energized from a downed line. Be careful not to touch or step in water near where a downed power line is located. If a downed line is near water — even a small puddle — keep well away.
• Don’t attempt to repair the electrical system or pull tree limbs off lines. Let our trained work crews perform this potentially dangerous work.
• Stay clear of areas where there is a lot of debris or downed trees because it could conceal an energized power line. Also stay clear of chain link fences which may be energized if touching a downed line.
• If you have an electric generator, please ensure that you have isolated your home or business from the utility electrical service lines by opening main breakers or other devices. Do not connect portable generators to your household electrical wiring. This can cause serious injury to you and to our employees working on the lines in your neighborhood. Connect only essential appliances – such as freezers and refrigerators — directly to the generator.
• If your power is off, turn off large appliances and air conditioners and wait 10 to 15 minutes after power has been restored before turning them back on.
• If there is damage to your meter box or the pole on top of your meter box, you must first have an electrician make repairs before we can restore your service.
• Stay away from areas where our crews are working. If driving, follow road signs, drive cautiously and follow directions in the area of a work crew.
• Please be patient. Our crews will work as fast as safety allows. Before neighborhood lines can be worked on, our crews must first repair larger lines that bring power to neighborhoods.
• See more preparation and safety tips here.

Stay Connected with Gulf Power

·         To get the latest updates on outages, customers can download Gulf Power’s app and access the outage map for the latest restoration information. The app is free and available for iPhone and Android. Just search for “Gulf Power” in iTunes or the Google Play Store.

·         Visit MyGulfPower.com and click on the outage map for restoration updates.

·         Customers can follow Gulf Power updates on Facebook or Twitter – #RebuildingTogether #RestoringHope #PowerofTeamwork #850Strong

·         Gulf Power knows when your power is out. However, you can call 1-800-487-6937 if you have any questions about your outage.

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