The secret to a quicker hurricane recovery is hidden in the ground — at least if you ask FPL.
The power company is promoting a new program to convince homeowners in older neighborhoods to do away with their overhead powerlines and agree to have them buried in the ground. The company said its research on power outages is clear.
“We see day-to-day and during severe weather that the leading cause of outages is vegetation,” FPL spokesperson Shawn Johnson said.
Florida Power & Light installs underground power lines in Port Charlotte
The company said underground lines had six times fewer outages than overhead lines during severe weather and perform 50 percent better day-to-day.
Gary Ogle, a Port Charlotte resident, is thrilled his neighborhood is being transitioned to underground lines because he remembers the damage left by Hurricane Ian.
“It devastated this whole neighborhood. It looked like a bomb went off,” Ogle said.
The retired airline pilot is no stranger to storms. From Hurricane Andrew in South Florida to Charlie in Charlotte County, Ogle knows firsthand how hard recovery can be.
He said he’s also seen how first responders like FPL have made recovery easier. He experienced that when the utility's crews restored power to his former Charlotte County home during Charlie after two months and then was astonished crews restored electricity after Ian in just over a week.
“It was amazing that eight days,” said Ogle. “I'm looking at it -- it took three days just to get the roads clear.”
He believes underground lines will make the process even more efficient for a future storm. About 50 percent of FPL’s distribution system is underground but the company knows increasing that number makes the grid stronger.
“Bringing underground power lines to this Port Charlotte neighborhood doesn't just benefit this neighborhood. It doesn't just benefit Port Charlotte,” said Spokesperson Shawn Johnson. “It benefits all Charlotte County and to that point, the entire Southwest Florida region and across the state because every single minute that were saved from having to restore power following severe weather here in this neighborhood, we're allowed to better focus our resources elsewhere.”
FPL crews can restore power faster because utility poles that are often hard to reach in the back of people’s properties will now be easily accessible in front yards.
FPL has actually been installing underground lines for decades but the Storm Secure Underground Program is new initiative. Using data from the 100-year flood plan and records of previous outages, it determine which neighborhoods should be transitioned next and then encourages homeowners to make the transition.
Areas at high risk for flooding are not good candidates since crews need to access the ground to fix problems. FPL does gives priorities to areas that are prone to vegetation related outages.
FPL crews recently demonstrated for the media how the installation of underground lines works—which doesn’t involve trenching. but the storm secure underground program is new.
“The drilling machine has a low impact for the customer for any type of landscaping it has on the property. But even with that we come off after the project and we replace any type of landscaping to the original or better than it was before,” said Mackenzie Herron, a senior project manager for FPL. He says customers typically just lose power for 30 minutes during the transition.
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Home owner, Gary Ogle, talks about how the trees in his backyard was responsible for his Port Charlotte home to loose power during Hurricane Ian. “It fell on the line from the pole to the house and that took it out.” Ogle said. They were without power for 8 days compared to Charlie when they were without for almost two months. He welcomes the underground lines.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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The conduit was pulled through underground and will house the power lines. On Wednesday, FPL demonstrated how they are replacing overhead neighborhood power lines with underground lines to improve resiliency especially during hurricanes and severe weather and also enhance reliability in day-to-day conditions using the The Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP). Trees and vegetation leading to downed power lines is the leading cause of power outages during storms. SSUP has brought underground lines to more than 400 neighborhoods. According to FPL, underground lines performed significantly better than overhead lines day-to-day and during severe weather – including six times better during Hurricane Ian in 2022 and 12 times better during Hurricane Idalia last year.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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The horizontal drill is pulling back the conduit that will house the power lines. On Wednesday, FPL demonstrated how they are replacing overhead neighborhood power lines with underground lines to improve resiliency especially during hurricanes and severe weather and also enhance reliability in day-to-day conditions using the The Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP). Trees and vegetation leading to downed power lines is the leading cause of power outages during storms. SSUP has brought underground lines to more than 400 neighborhoods. According to FPL, underground lines performed significantly better than overhead lines day-to-day and during severe weather – including six times better during Hurricane Ian in 2022 and 12 times better during Hurricane Idalia last year.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCUFPLUnderground032724AM
The count was pulled through underground and will house the power lines. On Wednesday, FPL demonstrated how they are replacing overhead neighborhood power lines with underground lines to improve resiliency especially during hurricanes and severe weather and also enhance reliability in day-to-day conditions using the The Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP). Trees and vegetation leading to downed power lines is the leading cause of power outages during storms. SSUP has brought underground lines to more than 400 neighborhoods. According to FPL, underground lines performed significantly better than overhead lines day-to-day and during severe weather – including six times better during Hurricane Ian in 2022 and 12 times better during Hurricane Idalia last year.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCUFPLUnderground032724AM
The count was pulled through underground and will house the power lines. On Wednesday, FPL demonstrated how they are replacing overhead neighborhood power lines with underground lines to improve resiliency especially during hurricanes and severe weather and also enhance reliability in day-to-day conditions using the The Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP). Trees and vegetation leading to downed power lines is the leading cause of power outages during storms. SSUP has brought underground lines to more than 400 neighborhoods. According to FPL, underground lines performed significantly better than overhead lines day-to-day and during severe weather – including six times better during Hurricane Ian in 2022 and 12 times better during Hurricane Idalia last year.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCUFPLUnderground032724AM
The end of the first drill sticks out of the ground. The drill head was changed out and the conduit was pulled back through the original hole. On Wednesday, FPL demonstrated how they are replacing overhead neighborhood power lines with underground lines to improve resiliency especially during hurricanes and severe weather and also enhance reliability in day-to-day conditions using the The Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP). Trees and vegetation leading to downed power lines is the leading cause of power outages during storms. SSUP has brought underground lines to more than 400 neighborhoods. According to FPL, underground lines performed significantly better than overhead lines day-to-day and during severe weather – including six times better during Hurricane Ian in 2022 and 12 times better during Hurricane Idalia last year.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCUFPLUnderground032724AM
The count was pulled through underground and will house the power lines. On Wednesday, FPL demonstrated how they are replacing overhead neighborhood power lines with underground lines to improve resiliency especially during hurricanes and severe weather and also enhance reliability in day-to-day conditions using the The Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP). Trees and vegetation leading to downed power lines is the leading cause of power outages during storms. SSUP has brought underground lines to more than 400 neighborhoods. According to FPL, underground lines performed significantly better than overhead lines day-to-day and during severe weather – including six times better during Hurricane Ian in 2022 and 12 times better during Hurricane Idalia last year.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCUFPLUnderground032724AM
The end of the first drill sticks out of the ground. The drill head was changed out and the conduit was pulled back through the original hole. On Wednesday, FPL demonstrated how they are replacing overhead neighborhood power lines with underground lines to improve resiliency especially during hurricanes and severe weather and also enhance reliability in day-to-day conditions using the The Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP). Trees and vegetation leading to downed power lines is the leading cause of power outages during storms. SSUP has brought underground lines to more than 400 neighborhoods. According to FPL, underground lines performed significantly better than overhead lines day-to-day and during severe weather – including six times better during Hurricane Ian in 2022 and 12 times better during Hurricane Idalia last year.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCUFPLUnderground032724AM
Home owner, Gary Ogle, talks about how the trees in his backyard was responsible for his Port Charlotte home to loose power during Hurricane Ian. “It fell on the line from the pole to the house and that took it out.” Ogle said. They were without power for 8 days compared to Charlie when they were without for almost two months. On Wednesday, FPL demonstrated how they are replacing overhead neighborhood power lines with underground lines to improve resiliency especially during hurricanes and severe weather and also enhance reliability in day-to-day conditions using the The Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP). Trees and vegetation leading to downed power lines is the leading cause of power outages during storms. SSUP has brought underground lines to more than 400 neighborhoods. According to FPL, underground lines performed significantly better than overhead lines day-to-day and during severe weather – including six times better during Hurricane Ian in 2022 and 12 times better during Hurricane Idalia last year.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
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— WGCUFPLUnderground032724AM
Colby Wottman, Supervisor with Restore Drilling, helps to guide the conduit off the cart as it is pulled underground. On Wednesday, FPL demonstrated how they are replacing overhead neighborhood power lines with underground lines to improve resiliency especially during hurricanes and severe weather and also enhance reliability in day-to-day conditions using the The Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP). Trees and vegetation leading to downed power lines is the leading cause of power outages during storms. SSUP has brought underground lines to more than 400 neighborhoods. According to FPL, underground lines performed significantly better than overhead lines day-to-day and during severe weather – including six times better during Hurricane Ian in 2022 and 12 times better during Hurricane Idalia last year.
Andrea Melendez/WGCU
Ogle said when an FPL representative came by his home to explain how the installation of equipment would work, he was able to get clear answers to his questions and he’s glad he’s allowing a transformer sit on his property that will serve his home and about a dozen others.
“Underground is the way to go,” said Ogle.
The Storm Secure Underground Program is voluntary. Homeowners must first agree to allow FPL to access their property. There is no out of pocket cost. A surcharge that all FPL customers pay on their power bills pays for this program.
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