Stormwater and FPL hurricane season
What the county recorded
This item is not from the published agenda
It is a stretch of the recording that this archive identified as a separate matter — a call to order, a recess, or something taken up that the agenda does not list. There is no official title, no staff recommendation and no disposition, because the county never recorded one. Everything below is inferred.
The source document
The county’s agenda for Planning Commission, Mar 17, 2022
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
The county’s minutes for Planning Commission, Mar 17, 2022
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
What was said
Machine transcription of 13m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 4% of 27 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
Pasco County waterways and wildlife depend on you to keep them healthy. Excess fertilizer, grass clippings, trash, oils, and pet waste wash into gutters and storm drains when it rains. Stormwater carries these pollutants directly into our lakes and rivers, creating an unhealthy environment for fish, waterfowl, and other aquatic animals. Storm drains are meant for clean rainwater. Most other discharges are illegal. If you suspect an illicit discharge, please contact Pasco County, Department of Public Works, at seven two seven eight three four three six one one.
The six-month Atlantic hurricane season has been described as the mean season. It's no wonder.
Movement westerly away from the peninsula at 5 miles per hour, sustained winds 75 miles per hour, gust to 90, but those hurricane force winds extend outward of 25 miles.
The Sappho-Simpson wind scale measures the intensity of hurricanes, from Category 1, the least intense, to Category 5, the most severe. According to the National Hurricane Center, a Category 4 storm would be expected to cause 100 times the damage of a Category 1 hurricane. Each year from June 1st through November 30th, Floridians are urged to have a plan and be ready for the annual hurricane season. Last year, Hurricanes
Hermine and Matthew reminded us of the power these storms wield, especially in Central and North Florida where the effects were greatest. Still, nearly half of FPL's 4.9 million customers have yet to experience a major hurricane since 2005. It's important to remember that it only takes one storm to devastate a community. By preparing together, we will not reward. throughout the course of storms, but we may rewrite how we get through them. The one-time director of the National Hurricane Center puts it this way: Preparation
through education is less costly than learning through tragedy.
Here are some steps you can take to help be better prepared for storm season. Make sure FPL has your current phone number and email so it can be quickly matched to your FPL account. You can update your account information online at FPL.com. It's a simple process on your computer or mobile device. Make contact with your local emergency management office if you or someone in your home has special needs in case there is an evacuation. Stock up on supplies such as non perishable
food, enough for up to 14 days. Medicine, baby products, and pet food. Also, fill up containers with tap or filtered water or produce such as bottled water to have on hand. The American Red Cross recommends one gallon of water per person per day. You should have enough for 14 days. Check your emergency equipment, including flashlights, battery-operated radios, and emergency generators. Remember to buy extra batteries as well as power banks to keep your cell phone
charged. Now is the time to check your hurricane shutter system or make sure you have alternate coverings such as plywood that you can. can use to properly shutter windows and doors. Finally, trim trees that are not near power lines and clear away the debris. Once a hurricane warning is announced, trash pickup is suspended. All of these steps should be part of storm season preparation and done well in advance of any storm warning. If a storm strike is imminent, FPL activates its comprehensive storm plan.
Since 2006, we've invested nearly $3 billion to strengthen our energy grid, to provide you with electricity you can count on in good weather and bad. While our energy grid is better prepared to withstand the storms that come our way, high winds and flooding will cause damage. So we train year-round to restore power safely and as quickly as possible.
72 hours before a hurricane or major tropical system hits our service area, a scene such as this is carried out inside FPL's Command Center. Built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, the Command Center is equipped with the latest technology to help predict what impact the storm will have to our customers and the energy grid. The command center also serves as the nerve center for the restoration effort.
In addition, our Mobile Command Center streamlines the restoration process for our customers by allowing us to be closer to damaged areas and provide immediate, on-scene information to our field crews and first responders. Crews are positioned, staging sites identified, material is pre-positioned, and if needed, outside utilities are lined up to assist us, and damage projections are made. It's also during this time that many FPL workers, including leaders from virtually every FPL department,
leave their families and work around the clock to deal with the storm's threat. In fact, FPL assigns storm riders who ride out the storm at power plants, critical substations, customer care centers, and other key facilities. We're also taking steps to keep your lights on and keep our community safe by partnering with the Florida National Guard to better plan for and respond to a hurricane or severe event.
Mm-hmm.
As the stormwinds begin to hit, our crews remain in the field, doing what they can to get some of the power back on. But once sustained winds reach 35 miles per hour, it becomes too dangerous for them to work. So, like the rest of us, they're forced to wait it out. As the storm hits, our advanced technology shows us what areas are losing power. Our teams closely monitor the system, and when weather conditions improve and are safe, patrollers go into the field, and with the help of new apps and technology, can quickly
assess and report the physical damage to the system. Several hours after the storm is passed and before all field assessments are complete, FBL will provide an overall system restoration estimate to our affected customers. Technology is helping us restore power faster for our customers. By using a GPS Based tool together with laptops or iPads, crews in the field can receive real-time information about things like power outages and weather patterns. If a customer's power is out, our crew can see that instantly
on their device, make the necessary repairs, and then use it to ping the meter to ensure power has been restored. Our smarter, more storm-resilient grid is helping us to deliver energy our customers can count. Count on in good weather and bad. Since we're in this together, what about you? What should you be doing these days before a storm hits? The bottom line, since no one can pinpoint and predict with absolute certainty the path and power of a storm, we must be prepared. Here are some
electrical-related tips as a storm nears. If someone in your home is dependent on electric-powered, life-sustaining medical equipment, review your family emergency plan for backup power. Or make arrangements to relocate. Before lowering a TV antenna or satellite dish, make sure to turn off and unplug the TV and avoid power lines. Turn off all swimming pool pumps and filters and wrap them in waterproof materials. Turn your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest
settings ahead of time to help keep food fresh if you experience a power outage. Turn off and unplug any unnecessary electrical equipment, including sensitive electronics. Of course, you should already have your disaster supply kit prepared with non perishable food, one gallon of water per person per day. Medicines, any prescription drugs, baby supplies, pet supplies, battery-powered radio, flashlight, and batteries.
In addition, this would be the time to fuel your vehicles, and you might want to locate important documents you may need after the storm passes. Put them in a waterproof bag or container so that they'll remain protected if your home is damaged by water, or package them to take with you in the event of an evacuation. If you're in an evacuation zone, make sure you know the route and have everything you need if an evacuation order is made. Once the storm has passed and you begin to assess your damage, we're going to do the same thing, and a whole lot
more.
FPL's restoration plan is based on a few guiding principles. It's a plan that isn't random and doesn't play favorites. It focuses on restoring power safely and as quickly as possible to the most critical functions, as well as restoring the largest number of customers in the shortest amount of time. To do that, we start by repairing damage to power lines that carry energy from our plants to local substations, which are called. transmission lines.
At the same time, we fix main power lines that will restore power to critical facilities such as hospitals, 911 centers, and fire stations. This process also helps restore power to the hearts of our community's main thoroughfares, where supermarkets, gas stations, and other facilities serve basic needs and help get life back to normal. FPL simultaneously moves into neighborhoods and works to restore. Restore service to the largest amount of customers in the shortest amount of time. Finally, once the larger repairs have
been made, we work to restore smaller groups, converging on the hardest-hit areas until every customer's power is restored.
There are a few things to remember. The restoration work just described is happening simultaneously. The crews that fix smaller distribution lines are not waiting for the power plant to be fixed before they start working. Work is being performed in tandem.
That work is defined in scope and severity within the first 24 hours by coordinated damage assessments. In this area, overhead has an advantage to underground lines because you can see the damage. If it's a particularly wet storm with lots of flooding, finding and repairing damaged underground facilities can take longer. If the storm is more windy than wet, the strong winds topple trees and scatter debris, bringing down overhead power lines and obviously causing less damage to the underground facilities.
We know our customers want and need information about when their power will be restored. Therefore, even before field damage assessments are complete and within hours after the storm, FPL will provide a preliminary.