Gulf Power News
For immediate release – Sept. 5, 2018
Gulf Power crews restore power to 13,000 customers overnight
PENSACOLA, Florida – Gulf Power crews worked through the night to restore power outages caused by Tropical Storm Gordon as its wide bands with heavy wind and rain slowly rolled across Northwest Florida. The storm made landfall just east of Biloxi, Mississippi, overnight. Strong wind and more than 9 inches of rain fell in the Pensacola area and surrounding counties, causing some localized flooding and widespread power outages.
Crews restored power to 13,000 of Gulf Power’s 460,000 customers who lost power during Gordon, with the majority of outages in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Nearly 17,000 customers have been affected by the storm, with outages peaking at around 1 a.m. Severe weather continues to cause additional outages.
“We were closely monitoring every movement of the storm, and as soon as we knew it was likely to track west toward Pensacola, Gulf Power crews and equipment were positioned in advance to respond quickly to the hardest-hit areas,” said Gordon Paulus, Gulf Power spokesperson. “We also had crews at the ready all across the service area. This quick restoration is a testament to the investments we’ve made to the grid, and storm preparation throughout the year.”
Early Wednesday morning, fresh Gulf Power crews and contractors were dispatched from Panama City and Fort Walton Beach to help restore power in hardest hit areas of Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties as well as the Pensacola area. Along with Gulf Power, sister company Georgia Power sent 100 crew members to assist with restoration. Remaining crews are working throughout the service area to handle any additional outages.
With crews deployed across the western section of Gulf Power’s service area, the energy company is estimating that 95 percent of its customers will be restored by 3 p.m. as long as the weather cooperates.
“We train year-round for these types of scenarios and deploy crews to different areas across the Southeast to help others restore power,” added Paulus. “Training and developing of skills has really paid off in helping us quickly and safely get our customers’ power back on.”
Gulf Power will continue to update its customers with timely information through its Gulf Power app, website, news media and social media.
Safety tips for after a storm
- Call 911 to report the location of any downed line. 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.
- 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.
- 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.
How customers can connect with us:
- 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.
- Customers should follow Gulf Power on social media to receive updates on Facebook or Twitter before, during and after the storm.
- Sign up for free Power Out alerts through your cell phone by texting REG to MyGulf (694853). Or, visit the Preference Center in the My Account area of MyGulfPower.com to choose whether to receive texts, emails or phone calls with outage updates.
- Gulf Power knows when your power is out. We suggest consulting the outage map first for information. However, you can call 1-800-487-6937 if you have any questions about your outage.
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About Gulf Power
Gulf Power serves more than 460,000 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 energy while strengthening our communities. Visit online at MyGulfPower.com or on the company’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. News information can be found at GulfPowerNews.com
News Media Contacts:
Media Relations
850.444-6320, cell 850-525-7510
Media Relations
850.872.3205, cell 318-294-2338
Media Relations
850-444-6050, cell 850-206-5132