Southwest Florida power crews preparing ahead of Helene

You could call it the sounds of preparation.

In recent days, vegetation crews with Florida Power and Light worked in Fort Myers trimming trees and clearing debris away from power lines.

It’s one of many steps FP&L says it’s taking to prepare for effects from Hurricane Helene.

“Crews are clearing vegetation from our power lines. Trees can be the number one cause of power outages, so we’re making sure our crews are ready so we can respond,” Florencia Olivera with FP&L.

The power company says they have thousands of employees, contractors and out-of-state crews stationed throughout Florida.

In all, there are 18 sites in the Sunshine State where crews are already in position and waiting.

“Those in community sites allow us to have our crews, equipment and technology already in the field,” Olivera said.

In Cape Coral, LCEC says they’ve secured out-of-state contractors and vegetation crews to work alongside local crews, if needed.

The power co-op plans to put crews on 12-hour shifts until all power is finally restored.

Speaking in Tampa, Gov. Ron DeSantis credited this kind of pre-storm preparation with keeping power outages to a limited timeframe.

“You look at some of our recent storms, you’ve had significant outages, in terms of the number of customers. But the length they’ve been out has been historically low,” DeSantis said.

Power crews remind residents to never approach a downed power line.

Any customers that are dependent on electric-powered medical equipment are urged to make plans for backup power.