NextEra Energy's Lew Hay Receives Prestigious National Leadership Award

"FPL's restoration assistance following these storms was truly remarkable," said Kuhn. "Getting the lights back on quickly and safely following a major storm is never easy. Working through the industry's mutual assistance program, FPL's crews were essential in helping their fellow utility workers restore service in affected neighborhoods. Importantly, FPL's assistance also shows the compassion of the company and its workforce in helping others in their time of need."

Hurricane SandyFPL started planning its assistance to the Northeast while finishing its own restoration work after Tropical Storm Sandy passed near the Florida coast. After reaching hurricane strength – the largest Atlantic hurricane in history – the storm made landfall in New Jersey in late October. According to EEI, the hurricane at its peak caused power outages for nearly 10 million customers in the Northeast. FPL employees and contractors worked 16-hour days in frigid temperatures, snow and flood conditions over a two-week period and assisted 11 utilities from Virginia to New Jersey. FPL sent a workforce nearly 1,000 strong, the largest mutual assistance contingent in the company's history, and restored power to approximately 50,000 customers in New Jersey alone. In the New York area, more than 200 of these workers helped restore customers of Con Edison and other utilities, and provided expertise on staging sites, operations and logistics. In addition, FPL and its affiliated NextEra Energy Foundation donated more than $200,000 – including $51,000 raised from FPL employees – to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. 

Super DerechoThe Mid-Atlantic States were slammed by an intense line of thunderstorms in late June. Named "Super Derecho" for this special type of violent, lengthy windstorm, it produced wind gusts of up to 91 mph, causing widespread destruction, 20 fatalities and massive power outages affecting four million customers in major urban areas. FPL deployed 233 workers, who traveled more than 1,000 miles in fewer than 48 hours, to help four utilities restore electric service. FPL crews worked primarily in the Washington – Baltimore area, which was heavily damaged by the storm.

"Giving mutual assistance to other utilities is a hallmark of the electric industry, and FPL is proud of the help our workforce provided our fellow Americans in recovering from these historic storms," said FPL President Eric Silagy. "Floridians have benefited from the resources provided by utilities outside our area following major storms. We're pleased to have had the opportunity to help restore vital electric service to residents of the Northeast."

Mutual assistance helps utilities in storm-affected areas speed service restoration by making available additional resources – such as line workers, support personnel and equipment – from utilities in areas largely unaffected by a storm. The utilities requesting assistance absorb the cost of the workers FPL sends.  

« First ‹ Previous 1 2 3 Next › Last »