Gulf Power plans to complete power restoration in Santa Rosa by midnight

As crews continue to make progress, Gulf Power announces updated restoration times for customers affected by Hurricane Sally. Gulf Power expects most customers to have their power restored before Tuesday, Sept. 22. Okaloosa County was essentially restored as of Friday, Sept. 18.

 

“While a lot of work has already been completed, our team continues to focus on our customers who have been affected by Hurricane Sally,” said Marlene Santos, president of Gulf Power. “With storm restoration teams from 24 states, we have 7,000 men and women who are laser focused on restoring power to our customers so they can begin getting their life back to normal. Together with the support of our community partners, we have already restored nearly 225,000 customers and today we are announcing more detailed restoration times for customers in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.”

 

NEW Estimated Restoration Times 

The following estimated restoration times are for 95% of customers who are able to be accept service.

 

ESCAMBIA COUNTY:

SANTA ROSA COUNTY:

 

As illustrated in the map, some of the hardest-hit areas are expected to take longer to essentially restore due to damage, ground conditions and other factors. Please keep in mind that most customers will be back on before these latest estimated restoration times.  

 

If power is restored in your neighborhood and you still do not have power, first please check your breakers. If this is not the issue, please report your outage on the Gulf Power App or using our automated system by calling 1-800-GUPOWER (1-800-487-6937).

 

Overcoming challenges
Every storm is different, and the wake of Hurricane Sally presented logistical challenges with bridge closures and flooded roads. To meet these challenges, Gulf Power worked to get crews closer to the restoration work and are now housing almost 80% of visiting crews in one of 12 staging sites. An example of one of these staging sites is the Pensacola Fairgrounds which has been converted to a temporary city with sleeper trailers and tents with cots for housing crews.

After crews work 16-hour days, in shifts that cover 24 hours a day, they return to their assigned staging site for a meal and to get some rest before the next day. If customers see trucks at a site during the day, it is typically because they are either checking in for work, or part of the night shift getting rest.

 

“Over the last three days, we have continually moved our crews closer to the work in order to get power restored safely and as quickly as possible,” said Santos. “Each hurricane restoration presents new challenges, but this is why we drill year-round, so we have solutions ready to execute quickly during an actual restoration event.”

 

Jackson	0	20	20	1,600
Okaloosa	0	36,130	36,130	94,500
Santa Rosa	1,230	72,970	74,200	74,200
Walton	0	3,970	3,970	24,000
Washington	0	470	470	6,700
Total	45,430	240,010	285,440	455,40

Frequently asked questions about power restoration
Customers often have questions while they wait for their power to be restored. Here are the answers to the most asked questions about power restoration after a storm.

 

Customers often ask, “Why don’t I see crews on my street or in my neighborhood?”
Just because you don’t see a power truck, doesn’t mean that we are not completing work that will help get your lights back on. Your outage could be caused by something farther away from your street or area that we must repair first before being able to bring power back to your home or business. Getting our core infrastructure – substations and main feeder lines – up and running is critical to bringing power back up to your neighborhood. Sometimes these repairs are the only source of your outage, and power could be restored without a truck ever rolling down your street.
 

As Gulf Power continues to get more and more customers’ electric service restored, this means lines are becoming energized. It is more important than ever to avoid downed power lines and if you feel a line is posing a threat, arcing or sparking, call our Customer Care Center at 1-800-GU-POWER (1-800-487-6937).

 

 

Additional resources 

Stay connected

Gulf Power communicates restoration information to customers frequently through the news media and the following resources:  

 

Customers can download the Gulf Power mobile app for on-the-go, instant and secure access to their accounts. Customers can report or get the latest information on an outage.

 

Visit GulfPower.com/storm for updates of outage and restoration information.