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Tag: Hurricane Irma outages

Post Hurricane Irma Restoration Ongoing

SECO Energy’s crews along with contract line and tree trimming crews continued the post Hurricane Irma restoration effort throughout the day Thursday and into the early morning hours on Friday. Restoration and recovery in some communities is a long process due to significant damage and flooding. Less than 23,000 of the almost 200,000 SECO members remain without power according to SECO’s Storm Center outage map.

 

Not all of the areas on Thursday’s feeder work designated on our interactive outage map were fully restored. Significant damage and flooding in certain areas curtailed restoration work. SECO understands that members with prolonged outages are frustrated. Restoration progress has slowed down as crews have moved into the most heavily damaged areas. Crews continued to work into the night, the restoration effort in the areas with the most damage is time-consuming. Friday’s forecast calls for a 70% chance of thunderstorms. Lightning conditions during restoration today will cause line work to come to an abrupt stop.

 

Florida mandates that facilities such as hospitals, shelters, schools and government offices are given highest priority when restoration begins. SECO restored power to these facilities first. Assisted-living, non-hospital medical facilities, nursing homes, gas stations and communications towers running on generator power began running out of fuel Thursday. These necessarily became a priority. SECO’s crews are pulled in many directions so members may see crews leaving residential areas that are not yet completely restored. Homes in one subdivision on one side of the street may have power while the other side does not. This can occur where one line ends and another line begins.

 

The electric system design is complicated, and we’ve developed an online visual to help members understand where the feeders/lines are located. SECO’s interactive restoration plan map was updated overnight to reflect Friday’s planned restoration areas. Members can use the daily restoration plan map to input their service address and determine if their area is included in the current day’s restoration plan. Substations are labeled as a reference and feeders are outlined in polygons. To use the map, visit www.SECOEnergy.com and hover over “Contact Us” in the top right corner. Select “Daily Restoration Plan.”

 

The following is a summary of substations and feeders where crews are or will be TODAY performing repairs and restoration:

 

Sumterville District Office:
• Gospel Island substation off Turner Camp Road in Citrus County.
• Lady Lake substation off Griffin Avenue in Lake County.
• Wildwood substation north of CR-222 in Sumter County.
• Floral City substation off E. Floral Park Drive in Lake County.
• Bushnell substation in Sumter County on CR-48.
• Lake Panasoffkee substation on CR 416N in Sumter County.
• Sumterville substation on South Hwy 301 in Sumter County.
• Webster substation on CR 753 in Sumter County.

 

Groveland District Office:
• South Highway substation in Groveland on SR-33 in Lake County.

 

Eustis District Office:
• Astatula substation on CR 561 in Lake County.
• Deer Island substation on CR 448 in Tavares.
• Howey substation in Howey-in-the-Hills in Lake County.
• Linadale substation in Umatilla in Lake County.
• St. Johns substation in Lake County off Lake Mack Drive in Deland.
• Umatilla substation in Lake County off of CR-450A.
• Paisley substation off Maggie Jones Road in Lake County.

 

Ocala District Office:
• Dallas substation serving CR-42 and Hwy 301 in Marion County.
• Belleview substation serving Belleview and Summerfield in Marion County.
• Timberwood substation in Marion County off 60th Avenue in Ocala.
• Westwood Acres substation in Ocala off SW 140th Ave in Ocala in Marion County.
• Martel substation in NW Ocala off 110th Ave in Marion County.
• Ocala substation on SW 80th Street in Marion County.
• Blitchton substation on NW Hwy 464 in Morriston.
• Marion Oaks substation in Ocala on SW 134 Loop in Marion County.
• Rainbow Lakes substation in Dunnellon on SW 33 Street in Marion County.

 

Please keep in mind that Hurricane Irma just left SECO’s service area late Monday morning. Even the storms of 2004 didn’t hit SECO’s area this hard and with this much damage. The system disruption is unprecedented and SECO is doing its best to quickly and fully recover.

 

During this time of prolonged outages from Hurricane Irma, if you are using a generator, never let it operate in an enclosed space such as your home, garage or enclosed porch. Generators emit carbon monoxide, a silent, odorless killer. There are multiple reports of Central Floridians who have been rushed to the hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning, and some of these cases were fatal. Read and follow manufacturer’s safety warnings when operating a generator.

 

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO is dedicated to being our members’ first source for accurate storm information. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” the company on Twitter to stay updated about storms affecting our area.

Crews Worked Overnight Restoring Power to SECO Members

SECO Energy crews along with contract line and tree trimming crews worked day and night on Wednesday restoring power to SECO members after Hurricane Irma devastated the area. Crews spent the day fixing damaged lines, clearing trees and restoring power to 35,368 members on Wednesday alone.

 

Since Monday at noon when restoration began, crews have restored service to more than 90,000 members. Early today, SECO’s Storm Center showed approximately 35,500 members remain without power. Now that CenturyLink phone lines are working again and more members who evacuated are returning home, outage reports continue to generate. 

 

SECO’s interactive restoration plan map was updated overnight to reflect Thursday’s planned restoration locations. The daily restoration plan map is a useful communication tool for members seeking power restoration information. Members can input their service address and determine if their area is included in the current day’s restoration plan. Substations are labeled as a reference and feeders are outlined in polygons. To use the map, visit www.SECOEnergy.com and hover over “Contact Us” in the top right corner. Select “Daily Restoration Plan.”

 

Overnight, hundreds of crews from Missouri cooperatives arrived at SECO to join the restoration effort early this morning. Fresh contingents of line and tree contractors from Texas, North Carolina and Louisiana arrived on Tuesday. All SECO substations are operating normally, and SECO is working with Duke Energy as it repairs its transmission lines connected to SECO’s Gospel Island substation.
 

The following is a summary of substations and feeders where crews are or will be TODAY performing repairs and restoration:

 

Sumterville District Office:
• Gospel Island substation off Turner Camp Road in Citrus County.
• Lady Lake substation off Griffin Avenue in Lake County.
• Wildwood substation north of CR-222 in Sumter County.
• Floral City substation off E. Floral Park Drive in Lake County.
• Bushnell substation in Sumter County on CR-48.

 

Groveland District Office:
• Groveland substation in Lake County on Phelps Street.
• Big Creek substation in Clermont off CR-474 in Lake County.
• South Highway substation in Groveland on SR-33 in Lake County.

 

Eustis District Office:
• St. Johns substation in Lake County off Lake Mack Drive in Deland.
• Mount Dora substation off SR-44 in Lake County.
• Umatilla substation in Lake County off of CR-450A.
• Paisley substation off Maggie Jones Road in Lake County.

 

Ocala District Office:
• Dallas substation serving CR-42 and Hwy 301 in Marion County.
• Belleview substation serving Belleview and Summerfield in Marion County.
• Timberwood substation in Marion County off 60th Avenue in Ocala.
• Summerglen substation serving Summerglen and Marion Oaks in Marion County.
• Westwood Acres substation in Ocala off SW 140th Ave in Ocala in Marion County.
• Martel substation in NW Ocala off 110th Ave in Marion County.
• Ocala substation on SW 80th Street in Marion County.
• Waterways substation in Ocala off SW 49th Ave in Marion County.

 

Please keep in mind that Hurricane Irma just left SECO’s service area late Monday morning. Even the storms of 2004 didn’t hit SECO’s area this hard and with this much damage. The system disruption is unprecedented and SECO is doing its best to quickly and fully recover.

 

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO is dedicated to being our members’ first source for accurate storm information. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” the company on Twitter to stay updated about storms affecting our area.

SECO Releases Interactive Restoration Plan Map for Members

SECO Energy released a new interactive restoration plan map for members to help them determine the areas where crews are currently rebuilding feeders/circuits and restoring power.

 

This new interactive map is a useful communication tool for members seeking power restoration information. Members can input their service address and determine if their area is included in the current day’s restoration plan. Substations are labeled as a reference and feeders/circuits are outlined in polygons. To use the map, visit www.SECOEnergy.com and hover over “Contact Us” in the top right corner. Select “Daily Restoration Plan.”

 

On Wednesday morning, SECO updated the map to reflect the September 13 restoration plan, and mobile-friendly adjustments were made for smartphones and tablets. SECO quickly built the map to help its members who may not be able to get through on the phone.

 

SECO has had significant restoration success since work began Monday at noon. On Monday morning when hurricane winds subsided, our systems indicated about 110,000 reported power outages out of SECO’s 200,000 members. By the end of the day Monday, SECO crews and contractors had restored 25,000 members’ service. By the end of the day Tuesday, SECO crews and contractors had restored another 31,500 members’ service. SECO’s Storm Center shows that approximately 54,000 members remain without power.  

 

SECO anticipated the widespread damage, and brought several contingents of line and tree contractors in before the hurricane hit. The company also proactively arranged for fresh tree and line contractors to arrive every day this week to deploy in the field. Crews arrived from Texas, North Carolina and Louisiana on Tuesday and a large Missouri contingent arrives today. Most substations are now functional, and SECO is counting on the support of Duke Energy to repair its transmission lines connected to SECO’s Mount Dora, Lady Lake, Umatilla, Sorrento and Gospel Island substations back online.

 

SECO crews along with hundreds of contract line and tree trimming crews who arrived before Hurricane Irma struck have been working around-the-clock restoring power to SECO members. Since restoration began at noon on Monday, SECO has restored power to more than 56,500 members and the number restored members continues to climb by the minute. The following is a summary of substations and feeders where crews are or will be TODAY performing repairs and restoration:

 

Sumterville District Office:
• Dallas substation in Marion County near Hwy 301 in Summerfield.
• Lady Lake substation off of Griffin Avenue in Lake County.
• Wildwood substation north of CR-222 in Sumter County.
• Floral City substation off E. Floral Park Drive in Lake County.
• Inverness substation near Susan Point in Citrus County.
• Bushnell substation in Sumter County on CR-48.
• Webster substation in Sumter County on CR-753.

 

Groveland District Office:
• Groveland substation in Citrus County on Phelps Street.
• Big Creek substation in Clermont off CR-474 in Lake County.
• South Highway substation in Groveland on SR-33 in Lake County.

 

Eustis District Office:
• St. Johns substation in Lake County off Lake Mack Drive in Deland.
• Mount Dora substation off SR-44 in Lake County.
• Linadale substation in Umatilla off SE 255 Ave in Lake County.
• Umatilla substation in Lake County off of CR-450A.
• Sorrento substation off CR-437 in Lake County.
• Deer Island substation in Tavares off CR 448 in Lake County.

 

Ocala District Office:
• Dallas substation serving CR-42 and Hwy 301 in Marion County.
• Belleview substation serving Belleview and Summerfield in Marion County.
• Timberwood substation in Marion County off 60th Avenue in Ocala.
• Summerglen substation serving Summerglen and Marion Oaks in Marion County.
• Westwood Acres substation in Ocala off SW 140th Ave in Ocala in Marion County.
• Martel substation in NW Ocala off 110th Ave in Marion County.
• Ocala Park substation in NW Ocala off 90th Ave in Marion County.

 

Please keep in mind that Hurricane Irma just left SECO’s service area late Monday morning. Even the storms of 2004 didn’t hit the area this hard with this much damage. The system disruption is unprecedented and SECO is doing its best to quickly and fully recover.

 

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO is dedicated to being our members’ first source for accurate storm information. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” the company on Twitter to stay updated about storms affecting our area.

Hurricane Recovery Begins in Central Florida

Overnight, SECO’s service territory suffered significant damage from Irma’s hurricane-force winds. More than 110,000 members are without power. Statewide, nearly 7 million people – nearly 60 percent of Florida – do not have power. SECO members struggled today to report outages because Century Link phone lines are down and SECO’s online Storm Center platform has been inundated with more than a million hits since 5 am. SECO asks that members who have already reported an outage refrain from reporting it again.

 

High wind gusts continue to hamper restoration efforts across the counties we serve. Restoration began around noon today with tree contractors and line crews paired together for the daunting work of clearing limbs and fallen trees before electric equipment repair/replacement can take place. The outages affect 100 of our 197 feeders, so half of SECO’s electric system is disabled. Eight SECO substations are completely out due to transmission outages – including six Duke Energy transmission outages, one City of Ocala transmission outage, and one SECO-owned transmission outage.

 

SECO CEO Jim Duncan stated, “SECO has developed a priority restoration plan and has deployed local crews and outside resources in Marion, Lake, Sumter and Citrus counties. Per Florida regulatory requirements, substations and feeders with hospitals, shelters, schools and government agencies are the highest priority. The next priority is to restore power to large groups of members, and then to less populated areas with individual electric services.” The company anticipates that up to 25,000 members’ service could be restored in the first 24 hours of restoration, and crews will continue to work round the clock until all service is restored.

 

Though SECO staged hundreds of contract line and tree crew members in advance along with heavy equipment, more manpower is needed based on the significant damage. The company is working to secure additional resources. Fuel is in very short supply, and SECO is working with Governor Scott’s office to secure tankers of diesel and unleaded fuel. Transportation is also challenging with trees and lines down. Restoration may take days or even weeks, dependent on manpower and fuel.

 

Seek shelter if you or your loved ones need power to run life-saving medical devices. Floridians can access www.floridadisaster.org/shelters for shelter information by county, including general population shelters, pet-friendly shelters and special needs shelters.

 

If you are using a portable or backup generator, never let it run in enclosed spaces. Generators emit carbon monoxide gas that is a silent, odorless killer. Ensure these are connected correctly. Do not tamper with a meter to connect a generator as this requires a licensed electrician. Safety tips and storm preparation tips are available on SECO’s website.

 

To avoid scams and dangers, do not accept restoration or tree trimming assistance from someone who is asking for payment on the spot and is not a SECO employee or contractor. Under no circumstances would SECO ask for payment in the field during a restoration event. Do not attempt to reconnect services yourself.

 

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO is dedicated to being our members’ first source for accurate storm information. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” the company on Twitter to stay updated about storms affecting our area.