The weekend’s passing storms knocked out power for some, flooded the roads of others, and felled a number of trees.
About 1,300 Florida Public Utilities customers were without power during the storm’s peak, said Buddy Shelley, the General Manager, of the Northwest division of FPU. Some experienced outages for six to seven hours.
Twelve FPU employees worked in the storm, some working 16 hour shifts. Eight additional employees answered phones, dispatched outages, and handled the logistics. Most of the storm-related outages restored at about 11 a.m. on Sunday. Several other outages occurred on Sunday because of wind, but power was restored by about 6 p.m., Shelley said.
All in all, however, it could have been a lot worse, said Rodney Andreasen, Jackson County Emergency Management Director. The storms were not as severe as they could’ve been.
“We got out pretty lucky,” Andreasen said.
This season is one of the more dangerous ones. Andreasen said it worries him more than hurricane season because people don’t usually prepare for it. Severe rain and the accompanying flooding, tornadoes and other dangerous weather patterns make up this part of the year, Andreasen said.
“This is the season when things start happening,” Andreasen said.
Residents should treat this time like hurricane season, Andreasen said, and make sure they have the same type of supplies. Locals should purchase flashlights, batteries, a first aid kit, battery-powered NOAA weather radio, nonperishable food, heating fuel and extra medicine.
The National Weather Service is reporting the potential for severe storms from Thursday into Friday. At this time, the strength and timing are still uncertain.
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