FPL shows why its hurricane response doesn’t end after power’s restored

BRADENTON, Fla. — After Hurricane Milton, dozens of students at Rowlett Academy returned to school after missing multiple days. It wasn’t a typical day as the kids lined up outside the front entrance, handing out their homemade cards, etched with messages of appreciation to Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) lineworkers who worked relentlessly to restore power to more than two million customers.

Following the storm, hundreds of FPL employees descended along Florida’s west coast to help customers who were affected by the devastation that Milton brought.

In Charlotte County, for example, FPL participated in a grassroot community event to bring needed supplies, such as diapers and first aid kits, directly to customers.

In Sarasota, employees helped deliver meals to low-income seniors.

In Fort Myers Beach, the company partnered with the city and mayor’s office to host a snow cone truck event for nearby neighborhoods.

“To see the community come together is just so heart-warming,” said Linda Agresta, a Manatee County School District transportation liaison. “But more than that, knowing that you have the support of the whole country, and I say that without crying…everyone in this nation has really stepped up to the plate.”

Making landfall as a Category 3 Hurricane near Sarasota, Milton brought storm surge, flooding, downed trees and unusually strong tornados. While FPL was presented with restoration challenges, crews worked around-the-clock to get the lights back to the more than 2 million customers affected by the storm.

“We know this was, and still is, a difficult time for many of our customers. While crews were out restoring power, we also had teams working shoulder-to-shoulder with nonprofits throughout the state to support our communities in other ways,” said Pam Rauch, FPL’s vice president of external affairs and economic development. “Our customers are always a top priority, and offering aid after another destructive hurricane ripped through southwest Florida was essential.”

And for the lineworkers, community support is everything.

“It’s been a rough summer, followed by two hurricanes back-to-back. It’s awesome when you see the kids and their appreciation,” said Roger Ellis, an FPL lineworker who was thanked by Rowlett Academy students. “It means a lot to us. It’s what we do it for.”

In the past 14 months, Floridians have been impacted by four hurricanes, experiencing firsthand the extensive restoration efforts required after such natural disasters. FPL recognizes the toll these storms take and that’s why engaging with the communities it serves is such a crucial part of the company’s response plan following hurricanes.

FPL also deployed dozens of community action teams in some of the hardest-hit areas and made donations to natural disaster relief funds.

For Agresta and others, when individuals band together to support each other like they have following Milton, it means the world.

“We are Florida strong,” she said. “We will get through this.”