FPL Stages 12,000 Workers as Isaias Threatens Long Power Outages in the Panhandle

Florida Power & Light says it has gathered a restoration workforce of about 12,000 people and set up 16 processing and staging sites ahead of Hurricane Isaias. Forecasters warn the major hurricane could leave parts of the Florida Panhandle without electricity for days or longer after it comes ashore tonight or early Saturday. FPL serves most of Northwest Florida through the former Gulf Power territory, and the utility announced the mobilization Thursday as the storm strengthened in the Gulf.

The National Hurricane Center's key messages for Isaias are blunt about the grid. Damaging hurricane-force winds are expected over portions of the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi, and the hurricane center said residents in those areas "should prepare for the possibility of long-duration power outages." The Weather Service office in Tallahassee listed large areas with power and communications outages among the potential wind impacts for the Panhandle.

FPL's plan for Northwest Florida

In an Oct. 8 release, FPL said it is pre-positioning a restoration workforce of approximately 12,000 and finalizing the 16 staging sites to speed restoration closest to the areas likely to feel the greatest impact. The utility said it is communicating with customers through automated calls and text messages and monitoring its system around the clock.

"We know that our customers are counting on us," FPL President and CEO Scott Bores said in the release. "We are gathering a restoration workforce of 12,000 men and women, and pre-positioning supplies and equipment."

A day earlier, when Isaias was still a tropical storm, FPL said it had activated its emergency response plan and was securing additional restoration personnel from other utilities and electrical contracting companies. The company has urged customers who depend on electric-powered, life-sustaining medical equipment to finalize backup power plans or arrange to relocate, and has told customers not to trim trees immediately before the storm, because high winds can turn cut branches into flying debris.

FPL customers can report outages at FPL.com or by calling 800-4-OUTAGE (800-468-8243), and track restoration on the FPL Power Tracker at FPL.com/PowerTracker, which includes a separate Northwest Florida map.

The statewide restoration force

The state says more than 6,000 linemen and restoration personnel are on standby to support power restoration after Isaias, according to the governor's office. At a Thursday briefing, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state was planning for a storm stronger than the official forecast, a likely lower-end Category 3 at landfall.

Restoration cannot begin until it is safe for crews to work, which Escambia River Electric's leadership and other utilities have said means waiting for conditions to allow. The hurricane center's forecast has tropical-storm-force winds arriving along the coast Friday and hurricane conditions overnight. With hurricane-force winds extending about 30 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds out to 185 miles, outages are likely to spread well beyond the landfall point, and the Weather Service in Mobile said tropical-storm-force winds will reach well inland, with hurricane-force gusts likely into south-central Alabama.

Public power: FMEA and Tallahassee

The Florida Municipal Electric Association, which coordinates mutual aid for the state's city-owned utilities, said its 33 member utilities are lining up crews and equipment to send to the Panhandle if Isaias damages the grid there, Florida Politics reported. Through the American Public Power Association, FMEA can also bring in crews from other states. Executive Director Amy Zubaly described the arrangement as one in which member utilities both request and offer help when there is a need.

City of Tallahassee Utilities is among FMEA's members, as are several other North Florida public power systems. Tallahassee sits outside the hurricane warning but under a Tropical Storm Warning, and its tree-heavy neighborhoods have suffered widespread outages in past storms, including the May 2024 tornadoes and Hurricane Idalia in 2023, when the city leaned on mutual aid crews from other utilities.

Rural cooperatives brace in the hardest-hit counties

Much of the rural Panhandle gets its power from member-owned cooperatives rather than FPL. Escambia River Electric Cooperative, which serves northern Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, has secured about 75 additional lineworkers from Southern States Utility in Wetumpka, Alabama, and 24 right-of-way workers from HTC in Andalusia, Alabama, with roughly 80 more on standby until damage can be assessed, NorthEscambia.com reported.

Talquin Electric Cooperative, which serves rural areas around Tallahassee in Leon, Wakulla, Gadsden and Liberty counties, has urged members to charge phones, battery packs and other electronics before the power goes out, communications and outreach manager Ann Naiman told WCTV. Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, which serves parts of Bay, Gulf, Calhoun, Jackson, Walton and Washington counties, says on its website that for prolonged outages it calls in employees from unaffected offices, seeks help from other rural cooperatives and hires additional contract line and tree crews; its outage line is 800-568-3667. CHELCO, the cooperative serving much of Okaloosa, Walton, Santa Rosa and Holmes counties, directs members to its online Outage Viewer for live updates.

Duke Energy and the Big Bend

Duke Energy Florida, which serves about 2 million customers across a 13,000-square-mile territory that includes parts of North Florida and the Big Bend, warned Thursday that Isaias threatens outages in its service area. "As Hurricane Isaias approaches, Duke Energy meteorologists are closely tracking the storm," Todd Fountain, the company's storm director, said in a statement. "The safety of our customers, communities and employees remains our top priority."

Duke customers can report outages by texting OUT to 57801, online or in the Duke Energy app, or by calling 800-228-8485, the same number used to report downed lines.

Water and sewer: ECUA

In Escambia County, the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, which provides water, wastewater and sanitation service, closed its customer service department Friday as a precaution and ran Friday garbage collection early, asking customers to return carts to a secure spot by 1 p.m. so they do not become projectiles. ECUA said customers who rely on electrically powered equipment for water or wastewater service should prepare for a loss of electricity and have backup power ready, and that crews will assess and repair damage after the storm. Water or wastewater emergencies can be reported to ECUA's after-hours line at 850-476-5110.

Generator warnings from utilities and forecasters

Several agencies have issued the same cautions. Duke Energy tells customers to operate generators according to the manufacturer's instructions and to turn them off when utility crews are working nearby, because the electrical load fed back onto power lines can be hazardous to lineworkers. Duke also warns against using grills or other outdoor equipment indoors because of carbon monoxide. The Weather Service in Tallahassee cautioned that charging phones in a car left idling in a garage or other poorly ventilated space carries a risk of deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.

For hospitals and patients, the Agency for Health Care Administration has activated its patient look-up system and lifted early refill limits on Medicaid maintenance medications, excluding controlled substances, according to the governor's office.

What's next

The worst of the outages are expected tonight and early Saturday as the core of Isaias crosses the western Panhandle and moves into Alabama. Utilities plan to begin damage assessment as soon as winds subside Saturday, and utilities in Florida generally prioritize hospitals, water plants and other critical facilities before main lines that serve the most customers. Outage maps from FPL, Duke Energy and the cooperatives will be the fastest way to track counts once the storm arrives. Customers should treat every downed line as energized and report it to their utility or 911.