FPL says it is ready for hurricane season | NewsRadio WFLA

Hurricane season is underway, but FPL says if you lose your power during a storm, your lights will come back on faster than ever.

Florida Power & Light spokesman Shawn Johnson says the busy seasons of 2004 and 2005 served as a learning experience.

“We learned a lot during these two hurricane seasons about the importance of building a stronger, smarter, more storm-resilient grid.”

He says the electric giant has worked to harden almost all major power lines that serve critical facilities like police and fire stations and has buried lines across the state. In fact, Johnson says 50 percent of FPL’s lines are currently buried.

He also credits Smart Grid technology for restoring your power without having to send a worker to your home.

“And of course, a lot of that work also involves managing vegetation along thousands of miles of power lines across the state. As this is the leading cause of power outages, it has been incredibly helpful in reducing possible breakdowns by pruning trees near the electrical network lines.

Johnson says homeowners should also keep trees trimmed on their property during hurricane season.

Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne hit Florida in 2004, followed by four more storms the following year, culminating with Hurricane Wilma in October.

Hurricane season runs through November and is expected to be extremely busy.

Click here for FPL’s hurricane preparedness tips.