Three Hurricanes in One Season: “A Year’s Worth of Work in 45 Days” In 45 days during Florida’s most active
poles over houses. Over the course of the three
hurricane season on record — the summer of
storms, OUC spent about $31 million to repair
2004 — Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne
damage. Though the hurricanes impacted OUC
hit Orlando, devastating Central Florida’s tree
financially, reimbursement for the bulk of
canopy and sending thousands of trees crashing
hurricane-related costs came from the Federal
into homes and miles of power lines. Charley
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and
knocked out power to 80 percent of OUC’s
the State of Florida. None of these costs was
customers; Frances, 40 percent; and Jeanne,
passed on to customers.
59 percent.
In all, OUC replaced 570 poles and 453
OUC linemen served on the front lines of
transformers, 26.6 miles of primary line and
restoration efforts, routinely working 16-hour
44.2 miles of secondary line. Only two boil water
days in dangerous conditions. With that effort,
alerts were issued — and more than 2,000
power was safely restored to OUC’s affected
linemen, tree trimmers and trouble technicians
customers at a faster rate than the neighboring
were called in to assist with restoration.
utilities. After Hurricane Charley, crews had to
Customer service representatives fielded more
replace rear-lot line poles that had been
than 160,000 calls, a 50 percent increase from
knocked over in customers’ backyards. In some
normal activity.
cases, cranes were used to lift replacement
Mutual Aid: Returning the Favor OUC was happy to return the favor for several
power to customers who had been out since
utilities that sent crews to restore power in
Frances swept through on September 4, 2004.
Orlando and St. Cloud after Charley devastated
OUC also sent linemen to the City of Opp,
the area. After completing its own power
Alabama (near the Florida-Alabama border)
restoration following Hurricane Frances and
to help the restoration effort in the wake of
making sure that Hurricane Ivan was going to
Hurricane Ivan. In September 2005, OUC electric
bypass Central Florida, OUC released crews
and water crews went to Gulfport, Mississippi, to
to Fort Pierce Utilities Authority to help restore
help communities impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
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Used with permission of the Orlando Sentinel, copyright 2011