The National Weather Service forecasted potential heavy rains, strong winds, flash flooding and mudslides across Puerto Rico from Tropical Storm Ernesto, starting the evening of Aug. 13 and into Aug. 14. Ernesto first hit Puerto Rico around 10 p.m. on Aug. 13 bringing up to 9 in. of rain in some areas and 70 mph winds, knocking out power to 700,000 customers.
Before the storm even hit, the utility prioritized emergency preparations. For example, when the Tropical Storm warning was issued for Puerto Rico, LUMA made plans to activate its emergency operations center and focused on ongoing coordination with local and federal partners. It also took proactive measures to prepare for storm-related power outages ahead of expected impacts from Tropical Storm Ernesto.
“Our dedicated LUMA team remains singularly focused on our emergency preparation efforts to ensure we can respond as quickly and safely as possible to storm-related impacts," said Juan Saca, LUMA president and CEO. "Yesterday (Aug. 12), we activated our Emergency Operations Center and mobilized and staged our field resources across Puerto Rico. We will continue to coordinate with and provide critical updates to our local and federal partners to ensure a united and efficient storm response effort."
Ahead of the storm, LUMA Energy expected storm-related outages from Tropical Storm Ernesto, and it urged all its customers and their families to take immediate actions, including preparing emergency supplies.
"The safety of our crews and our customers will continue to be our highest priority,” Saca says.
As the storm continued to impact the island, LUMA mobilized its Emergency Operations Center and deployed crews to assess storm damage across Puerto Rico and begin the restoration process as outlined in its Emergency Response Plan.
As of 1 p.m. on Aug. 14, about 700,000 customers lost service, with the greatest impact being in the Eastern and Central areas. LUMA focused restoration efforts on critical facilities, such as hospitals, water stations and treatment plants, when assessments were complete and it was safe for crews to respond.
“Ernesto continues to impact the island with strong winds and heavy rains, causing significant outages, and we are focused on conducting damage assessments and beginning restoration efforts where it is safe to do so. We want to stress to all our customers the need to stay safe and stay away from downed power lines and electrical equipment. Given the ongoing impact of the storm, our highest priority right now is public and crew safety and working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power to all impacted customers once the storm passes,” Saca says.
Preparing for the Tropical Storm
In preparation for Tropical Storm Ernesto, LUMA took multiple actions since Aug. 12, including:
- Activating the LUMA Emergency Operations Center and instituting an Incident Command Structure in alignment with LUMA’s Emergency Management Plan.
- Activating all of LUMA’s Regional Operations Command Centers located across the island.
- Mobilizing more than 1,100 utility workers including lineworkers, substation, vegetation management, low voltage and aviation crews who are trained and available to respond, as well as coordinating the potential support on island and additional 200 off-island utility workers if needed.
- Coordinating with local and federal partners, including the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau (PREMB), the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), GeneraPR, FEMA, the U.S. Department of Energy Support Function #12 and other government agencies to ensure a unified response effort.
- Scheduling meetings with mayors of all 78 municipalities to inform them of LUMA's preparation efforts and response plan for their communities.
- Activating LUMA’s damage assessment plan to ensure a coordinated analysis of post-storm damage to support a quick and safe outage response effort.
- Deploying vegetation management crews to Culebra and Vieques to prepare response efforts for the two communities.
- Engaging meteorologists through a collaboration with the National Weather Service in San Juan to monitor Tropical Storm Ernesto’s path, plan for potential flooding and prepare contingency plans.
For more information and updates on the restoration efforts, visit the website.
