Electric companies not taking any chances

MEGAN SHANNON
Staff Writer

Although Lake and Sumter Counties were lucky last season with few power outages, electric companies are taking no chances this year.

Both Lake and Sumter County-based electric companies say they are ready for hurricane season.

Sumter Electric Co-Op Public Affairs Director Barry Bowman said they might even have the best hurricane plan around. Leesburg Electric Department Acting Superintendent Bob Bruck said they are holding mock runs soon to ensure preparedness.

Bowman said SECO employees are so advanced they were chosen to help clean up after Hurricane Katrina last season. He said they did not learn anything they did not already know, which is why they were asked to go in he first place.

"Our emergency restoration plan works so well that it only needs minor updates," he said. "But that doesn't mean it sits on the shelf. We make sure it is always the best it can be."

Bruck said his employees have already trimmed the vegetation near power lines so the lines will remain secure. Extra stock was also ordered in case Central Florida is hit again like it was in 2004. Things like extra insulators, poles, and fuses have been ordered.

Bruck said the company's plan is to focus on hospitals and commercial areas to ensure they do not go without power. He asked that residential areas remain patient with the company if their power is out.

"They have to understand there's a reason we do things the way we do. Someone has to get their power on first and someone has to be last," he said. "We need to make sure we get power to hospitals and places like grocery stores and gas stations so people can function." Bowman said SECO was among the first to restore power to 1,000's of customers after three hurricanes hit in 2004. He said 2005 was a breeze because there were very few outages to deal with.

For the first time SECO will have a live storm center available on the Internet so people know which areas have power. Bowman said this was an issue in 2004 when evacuees needed to know if it was time to return home.