Calm before a storm
WFEC outlines outage procedures for hurricane season
Floridans, beware: Forecasters anticipate this year’s hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 until Nov. 30, will be another active one. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts seven to nine hurricanes, with three to five ranked Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Meanwhile, hurricane forecaster Dr. William Gray, of Colorado State University, foresees a 53 percent chance a major hurricane – Category 3 to 5 – will make landfall on the east coast of the U. S. Unfortunately, their predictions have tended to be fairly accurate.
So, while you’re stocking up on supplies to prepare for severe weather, West Florida Electric Cooperative’s employees stand prepared to respond to storm-related power outages as efficiently as possible. Whether linemen, service center personnel, management or other staff, all are ready to devote every available resource, from equipment to experience, to restoring and maintaining your electric service, even in adverse conditions.
As a WFEC customer, you can help facilitate the restoration process should you experience a power outage. If the outage is isolated – that is, you’ve lost power but few, if any of your neighbors have – you can simply call WFEC to report the problem, including any observed signs of electrical system damage, to the dispatcher. However, when severe weather significantly impairs WFEC’s electrical distribution system, interrupting service for tens, hundreds or even thousands of WFEC customers, the Co-op utilizes a PORCHE automated outage reporting system. The PORCHE enables them to accurately pinpoint outage locations and dispatch crews to specific problem sites while simultaneously answering a heavy influx of calls far more efficiently than any human can.
You also can expedite power restoration by ensuring before experiencing an outage that the information listed on your account is up-to-date. However, should you report an outage to WFEC’s PORCHE from another phone number, such as your cellular phone’s, besides the one shown on your WFEC account, you should enter the correct number when prompted by the automated system. This allows the PORCHE to automatically identify your location and display information about the feeder, substation, circuit and other devices involved in providing your service.
After reporting an outage, allow sufficient time for repairs. Once you’ve reported a loss of power due to extremely severe weather, such as a hurricane, repeated calls – except to alert WFEC to damage such as a downed power line – are unnecessary and might even interfere with restoration efforts. In fact, to permit Co-op employees to concentrate on power restoration, WFEC typically closes its offices or limits normal operations during and immediately after a hurricane. During such times, customers should postpone calls to WFEC that are not pertinent to power restoration.
During extensive outages, such as those that follow a hurricane, WFEC’s linemen repair the Co-op’s electrical distribution system in a sequence that will restore service to the greatest number of customers in the least time possible – the only practical way. Working out from the substations, they first concentrate on getting the three-phase feeders, or main lines, leading from the substations back in operation. So, the closer you are to a substation, the sooner you’ll regain your electric service. Starting with the first set of breakers, the crews clear an entire section of line, then energize that section before moving on to the next set of breakers, gradually working out to the single-phase taps.
If an interruption in your electric service will prevent you or a member of your household from operating vital medical equipment or other critical devices, WFEC recommends you make advance arrangements for relocation or have an auxiliary power source available. WFEC offers a variety of sizes and types of generators with warranty coverage and optional professional installation.
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