Gulf Power Company is preparing for power outages across Northwest Florida from Isaac and asks customers to remain watchful and be prepared as well.

“Even though Isaac is on track to land west of us, we are still preparing our crews, employees and equipment,” said Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power spokesman. “Our service territory could see tropical storm winds of up to 50 mph, which will cause outages throughout the area.”

 

Hundreds of workers from Gulf Power Company’s sister companies, which include Alabama Power, Mississippi Power and Georgia Power, and workers from neighboring utilities, are on standby to come to Northwest Florida to help restore electric service.

 

“We thank our customers in advance for their patience as our crews work to restore everyone’s power,” Rogers said. “Even though we have a storm-tested plan and experienced workers, it still takes time to clear trees away and get the power back on safely.

 

The company's preparations include making arrangements with vendors to bring in large inventories of poles, wires, transformers and other equipment; setting up staging sites to house and feed additional workers and making sure aircraft will be available to perform damage assessments immediately after the storm.

 

Gulf Power does not disconnect power prior to a storm. As the storm nears, Gulf Power crews will work to restore power as long as weather conditions allow. If electricity is interrupted during the storm, workers will be dispatched as soon as it is safe to being restoration.

 

“When winds reach speeds of 35 mph, it’s no longer safe for our crews to be up in bucket trucks,” Rogers said. “Once the storm passes, damage assessments will begin immediately and crews will be dispatched to continue power restoration.”

 

Customers can follow updates on Gulf Power’s Facebook page or Twitter feed: www.facebook.com/gulfpowercompany or www.twitter.com/gulfpower. To report an outage customers can call 1-800-487-6937. Customers can also report outages on their mobile phone at www.gulfpower.com. Just click the “Log In” button in the “My Account” box.

 

Below are tips on how to prepare for an outage and safety tips for after the storm passes.

Prepare for power to be out.
 

• Turn your air conditioning down to cool down your house. If you keep the doors and windows closed after the storm you can keep your house relatively cool for about 48 hours after the storm.
   
• Charge up your cell phone before the storm — and anything else that needs to be charged up.
   
• Keep freezer doors closed and sealed. Well-filled freezers keep most foods frozen two to three days if the door is kept closed.
   
• Be prepared to disconnect or shut off any appliances that will turn on automatically when power is restored, including electric space heaters and stoves, washers, dryers, TV's, microwave ovens, computers, refrigerators and freezers. If not, when power is restored, several appliances may come back on at the same time and overload your circuits, or hot appliances may come on while you're away or asleep, posing a fire hazard.
   
• Leave a porch light switched on so that utility crews will be able to determine immediately the success of specific repairs.
   

Your safety counts.

• 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. Notify us, your local emergency agency, or call 911 to report the location of any downed lines.
   
• 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.
  Wait a reasonable time before calling customer service if your entire neighborhood is without power.
   
• 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. More on generator safety
   
• 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. More on meter box damage.
   
• If there is flooding in your home or business, we may be unable to restore electric service until the building is inspected by city or county code officials.
   
• 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.

Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more than 430,000 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 GulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook page, “Gulf Power Company.”

 

###