hurricane irma 2017 - techadvantage · 10/3/2018 · saturday, september 9, 2017 thirty-two fkec...

Hurricane Irma 2017The Experiences of the

Florida Keys Electric CooperativeScott Newberry CEO – John Stuart COO

Prologue

In the early hours of Sunday, September 10, 2017 Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys. Most of FKEC’s service territory experienced sustained winds exceeding 100mph with storm surges of 5 to 7 feet on the ocean side.

The Monday morning after the storm 90% of FKEC’s members’ 32,000 meters were without power. The entire Keys were dark from Tavernier to Key West. The 32 FKEC employees who had not evacuated began the restoration effort.

By Wednesday, September 13, less than 72 hours after the storm had passed, base camps were established and FKEC’s restoration workforce had swelled to 114 FKEC employees and over 350 contract workers. This represented a tenfold increase in FKEC’s pre-Irma construction capabilities.

On Saturday, September 23, 2017, 13 days after landfall, the last of FKEC’s members who were able to receive power were reconnected. Notably this was done without a single lost time injury.

This is our Hurricane Irma Story.

The Florida Keys

FP&L

FKEC

FKEC

KEYS

138 kV Transmission Lines

on Concrete and Steel

Structures w/ 25 kV

Underbuilt Main Line

Distribution Feeders

FP&L Florida City Substation

Jewfish Substation

Key Largo Substation

Crawl Key Substation

Islamorada Substation

Tavernier Operations Center and Substation

Marathon Operations Center, Substation, and Generation Plant

Background

• The 1935 Labor Day Hurricane devastated the upper Florida Keys. This storm is still considered the strongest storm to make land fall in the continental United States.

• In 1940, five years later the Florida Keys Electric Cooperative was born.

• The Florida Keys have a perception of being hammered by major storms on a frequent basis. History tells a different story. Hurricane Donna in 1960 was the only major storm to significantly impact FKEC prior to Hurricane Irma.

2004 and 2005 – The Wakeup Call

• Florida was hammered by eight Category 3 or higher storms in 2004 and 2005.

• The Florida Keys were repeatedly put under mandatory residential evacuation but none of the eight storms made land fall in the Keys.

• The Florida Keys Electric Cooperative only experienced minimal damage.

2004 and 2005 – The Wakeup Call

• These storms did serve as a major wake up call to FKEC’s management and board. Our board implemented a storm hardening policy in April 2006 mandating all future construction will be built to the NESC extreme wind loading criteria.

• Increased inspection and maintenance expectations were also established.

• FKEC spent over $45 million from 2006 through mid 2017 on storm hardening efforts. This required a doubling of FKEC’s pre-2006 capital expenditure levels. Keys Energy also contributed about $5 million for their share of the transmission projects.

Storm Hardening

➢Transmission structure and foundation restoration

➢Upgraded substation bus structures and circuit outlets

➢Anchor and guy inspection and replacements

➢Self-supporting poles

➢Distribution pole test, treat, and replacement program

➢Increased strength of new distribution wood poles

➢Use of engineered concrete and ductile iron poles

➢Over Insulation at all voltages

➢Annual aerial, thermal, and visual inspections/maintenance

➢Assertive vegetation management

Storm Hardened Tavernier Operations Center

20092007

Storm Hardened Tavernier Operations Center• 62,000 square feet – Structure built of

poured concrete, including the roof.

• 150mph plus rating.

• Entire structure elevated above flood level. Base elevation of warehouse floor is 12 feet above sea level.

• Large warehouse designed to protect vehicles and material during storms.

• Facility built to operate in stand-alone mode during and for 3 to 5 days following a storm.

FKEC Major Storm Emergency Plan

History has taught us that every hurricane has a unique personality. It is impractical if not impossible to plan for every scenario. FKEC’s planning and preparation focuses on logistics, resource availability, and decision authority.

Specific resource deployments, job assignments, and restoration tactics are a “game day decision”.

Hurricane Preparations

• In 2014 FKEC determined the plan to depend on local restaurants and hotels to feed and house a large number outside mutual aid and contract workers would be inadequate following a major storm.

• A base camp strategy was adopted in 2015 and Storm Services, LLC out of Cairo, GA was selected to provide these services.

• Memos of Understanding were signed between FKEC and local governments to facilitate the rapid deployment of base camps when needed.


The annual contract provides for full base camp services including:

• Catering• Refrigerated trailers for food• Dining facilities• Sleep trailers • Showers and toilets• Laundry• Truck and equipment fueling services• Water, generators, and waste removal


• Update mutual aid agreements with KEYS Energy, electric cooperatives, and investor owned utilities.

• Update annual contractor storm agreements.

• Coordinate planning efforts with county emergency management and other local agencies to maintain storm readiness.

• Ensure material inventory (on and off site), equipment readiness, and fuel stocks, are maintained at appropriate levels during storm season.

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Everyone had eyes on Texas and the vivid images of the destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Only a few professional weather watchers took much note of a tropical wave that rolled off the coast of Africa designated as Invest 93L.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Hurricane Irma appeared to be veering to the north and most of us relaxed and began making Labor Day BBQ plans.

Monday, September 4, 2017

On Monday Hurricane Irma’s projected path took a significant turn toward the Florida Keys.

Our BBQ plans were cancelled and we started putting up hurricane shutters.

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

The forecast for the Florida Keys worsened with strong agreement among the hurricane models.

FKEC activated its Incident Command System, routine work was canceled, and all activities were focused on securing plant and equipment.

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

• The Florida Keys entered the NHC “cone of uncertainty”.

• Normal mutual aid resources were determined to be unavailable due to Irma’s predicted track. FKEC identified adequate contractor resources but they were being committed to other utilities at an alarming rate.

• FKEC’s management made the call to mobilize and advance stage base camp resources. With food, beds, showers, and laundry arranged, final plans were made to secure the restoration work force.

• FKEC does not require any employee to remain in the Keys if a residential evacuation is ordered. The county wide residential evacuation order was issued Wednesday evening.

Thursday, September 7, 2017

• FKEC management made the decision to mobilize and advance stage 40 line crews, 23 tree crews, and 12 damage assessment teams. This represented a tenfold increase in FKEC’s normal construction capabilities and was a multi-million dollar commitment no matter the storm’s final outcome.

• Employees were released so that they could finalize securing their homes and property. Eighty-two of FKEC’s 114 employees chose to evacuate.

• All high risk work ceased at 7pm due to the closure of the local hospitals.

Friday, September 8, 2017

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Thirty-two FKEC employees took shelter in FKEC facilities or their homes and waited for Hurricane Irma to make landfall. Fortunately Irma brushed up against the mountains of Cuba which likely kept it from hitting the Keys as a Category 5 storm.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

The morning after…

The morning after pressures…

• 80% of our members had evacuated to the mainland and many were already queuing up at the Florida City road block anxious to return to the Keys. Their re-entry depended on how quickly electric, water, and sewer could be restored.

• The Keys’ $2.7 billion tourist economy which employs 54% of the Keys workforce was shut down with an unknown future.

• State and federal agencies immediately began requesting damage assessments and estimated restoration times.


• The day began with 90% of FKEC’s 32,000 meters without power. The entire Florida Keys was dark from Tavernier to Key West.

• 32 FKEC personnel continued from the previous afternoon working on public safety issues, tentative damage assessments, and low risk restoration activities.

• All transmission structures and substations survived with only minor damage. FKEC’s transmission system and all substations were energized by Monday evening.


• AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast went dark about 8am. There was extremely limited cell, land line, and internet service for the next three to five days.

• Surprisingly Sprint and T-Mobile networks continued to work. The three FKEC employees with Sprint and T-Mobile phones who had not evacuated became our primary communication to the outside world.

• Satellite phones were ineffective for communications within the Keys.

• FKEC’s 2 Meter VHF radio system performed well. The satellite internet performed within it’s limited capabilities.


• 75% of FKEC’s employees had returned to work. Limited critical care resources were available which allowed resumption of high risk activities.

• FKEC crews began isolating damaged facilities and energizing the main primary distribution and critical infrastructure. Contract damage assessment teams arrived and began work.

• By the end of day, approximately 70% of FKEC’s main line distribution feeders were partially or completely energized. Almost all of the critical infrastructure facilities were restored.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

• 99% of FKEC’s employees were back on the job. FKEC crews continued isolating damage and repairing transmission and primary distribution lines.

• Base camps were established at Founders Park in Islamorada and FKEC’s Marathon Operations Center.

• Contract crews continued arriving throughout the day and were given safety and operational orientations.

• By nightfall, over 350 contract workers joined FKEC’s 114 employees in the restoration effort.

Thursday, September 14, 2017

• Each FKEC journeyman lineman was assigned to a designated area to direct restoration efforts with a team of 3 to 5 contract crews. An FKEC office employee was assigned to each team in a staff support role.

• Work continued on the main distribution line as efforts to restore individual neighborhoods began.

• Work was limited to day light hours for safety and productivity reasons.

• This strategy continued with steady progress for the next several days.

Restoration…


• By night fall power was restored to 98% of FKEC’s members who were able to receive service.

• Work teams were broken up as the focus shifted to service work.

• A staged release of the contract crews began and continued over the next five days.

Saturday, September 23, 2017

• 13 days after landfall, all of FKEC’s members who were able to receive power were restored.

• The majority of the remaining contract crews were released.

• The official restoration effort was declared over.

• The many months of clean-up and permanent repairs began.

Restoration Timeline

• Monday, September 11 – 10% energized

• Wednesday, September 13 – 40% energized

• Thursday, September 14 – 70% energized

• Sunday, September 17 – 80% energized

• Tuesday, September 18 – 98% energized

• Saturday, September 23 – 100% of FKEC members able to receive power have power.

Final Tally

• Transmission Poles Replaced: 0

• Transmission Poles Worked: 150

• Distribution Poles Replaced: 175

• Distribution Poles Worked: 1,200

• Services Replaced: 1,100

• Outside Assistance:

➢ 40 – electric line construction crews

➢ 23 – tree crews

➢ 12 – damage assessment teams

➢ 2 – base camps (slept 300/fed 400)

Lost Time Injuries: ZERO

Keys to Success

• FKEC board’s commitment to storm hardening;

• The adoption and successful implementation of a base camp strategy to house and feed the large influx of outside resources;

• FKEC management team’s decision to mobilize outside resources while still in the cone of uncertainty;

• The dedication of each Co-op employee, the hard work of the outside contract crews, and the cooperation of our members.

Key Observations and Improvements

• Plan should be verb, not a noun.

• Rigid processes and procedures almost always break down. Planning needs to focus on identifying likely chaos points and developing mitigation options to deal with them.

• Be prepared to work with low-tech solutions.

• Work closely with the State and County EOC’s but don’t hesitate to use direct channels and personal relationships.


• Make plans that do not include satellite phone dependency.

• Make plans that do not include dependency on a single communication provider. Have cell phones available from every carrier.

• Improve satellite internet capabilities.

• Expand and strengthen FKEC’s 2 Meter VHF radio capabilities.

• Establish an FKEC Amateur Ham Radio Club and base stations.


• The storm hardened Tavernier Operations Center performed extremely well allowing for key decisions and actions to take place during the critical first 72 hours. This included feeding and sleeping FKEC and contract workers until the base camps were established.

• FKEC is currently working on plans to add similar capabilities to our Marathon Operation Center by 2020.


• The strategy of assigning an FKEC journeyman lineman and office staff member to an assigned area with contract crews was very effective.

• FKEC was very fortunate and did not suffer any transmission structure failures but we had some close calls.

• Three transmission storm hardening projects totaling $20 million have been scheduled for the next three years. These projects have been submitted to FEMA as 404 Mitigation Projects for possible grants.


• The safety and operational orientations provided to contract crews contributed significantly to safety performance and improved productivity.

• Material availability can be greatly increased by standardization of key items with the inventory of other utilities. FKEC’s standards team is working diligently to make this happen.

• Implement an outage management assessment team made up of Member Services staff members to assist in managing outage data and establishing priorities.

FEMA – We only thought we were prepared

• FKEC was very naïve regarding FEMA procurement requirements. This has caused significant post-storm administrative efforts and may result in FEMA claims being denied.

• FEMA focuses on: ➢Process; not results➢Letter of the law; not the intent of the law

• Procurement procedures seem to trump reasonableness.

Current Status of FKEC’s FEMA Claims

• Sixteen months after the storm, FKEC has not received any money from the Florida Division of Emergency Management for our 406 claims totaling $20 million.

• FKEC has received determination letters from FEMA, denying our two base camp projects totaling $4.4 million. The basis of denial was that we conducted non-competitive procurement to secure a contract that did not qualify under the Federal Procurement Regulations. The appeal process has already begun.

• We have 6 more projects that are at various stages of review with FEMA however, none have been obligated yet.

Understanding the FEMA Public Assistance Process

• The process is complex and full of pitfalls.

• For electric utilities there are basically four categories that fall under the FEMA reimbursement or cost share guidelines.✓Category A - Debris Removal

✓Category B - Emergency Protective Measures

✓Category E - Public Buildings and Contents

✓Category F - Public Utilities

Understanding the FEMA Public Assistance Process

• The federal share of assistance is supposed to be no less than 75 percent of eligible costs and can be higher depending on the category and several other factors.

• The grantee (usually the State) will determine how the non-federal share is split with the sub-grantees.

FEMA-Public Assistance Guidelines

• Make sure that your coop has full knowledge of FEMA’s Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide (PAPPG), particularly CFR part 200. https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1525468328389-4a038bbef9081cd7dfe7538e7751aa9c/PAPPG_3.1_508_FINAL_5-4-2018.pdf

• Refer to “FEMA Public Assistance Basics and Procurement Toolkit” available on cooperative.com, to help guide you. https://www.cooperative.com/programs-services/government-relations/regulatory-issues/Documents/Secure/FEMAPAandProcurementToolkit.pdf

Critical FEMA Observations and Improvements

• Coops should develop a procurement policy in compliance with CFR 200 and use that policy for all procurement of goods and services that could possibly end up touching FEMA dollars.

• Having a policy in place and not following it is just as bad as not having one at all.


• Open and competitive procurement is a key issue with FEMA. Make sure you are placing your RFP’s on Vendor Link, Demand Star, SBA, local newspapers, local Chambers of Commerce and internal bid lists. Use as many places as you can to insure competitiveness and reasonable inclusion of women and minority owned businesses.

• Document everything about the procurement and vendor selection process.


• Know which contract types are acceptable to FEMA and which are not. Make sure you follow the bonding requirements. Contract administration is also a key issue for FEMA.

• Try to build a positive relationship with the assigned FEMA Program Delivery Manager (PDMG). They can be very helpful in navigating the FEMA Grants portal, assisting with documentation and formulation of narratives to accompany your project worksheets. They are also your direct link to the FEMA Community Resource Center (CRC) and Joint Field Office (JFO), which is where all of the decisions are being made.


• Depending on the extent of damages, consider a FEMA Grants assistance contractor and make sure you properly procure them.

• During the restoration process, document everything you can regarding labor, material, equipment, GPS locations, monitoring of contractors, work progress etc. This can all be helpful when preparing your project worksheets.

• FEMA requirements are continuously changing. FKEC is planning on having a consultant review our procurement and contract management process every other year in attempt to stay current.

Keeping FEMA in Perspective

• The time to worry about FEMA is the months and years before and after a storm. In the days immediately before and after a storm, simply do the right thing for your members. Just remember to document, document, and document some more!

• Anecdotal data following Hurricane Irma indicates that restoring power in a timely manner was invaluable to our members by:

• Allowing members to minimize wind and water damage and expedite repairs to homes and businesses.

• Allowing our tourist economy to rebound quickly which saved jobs and generated millions of dollars for our economy that could have been lost.

Epilogue…Storm Hardening is good business and a good investment

If FKEC’s storm hardening effort had not taken place, the additional damage and increased restoration time following Irma would have driven up the costs for FKEC and our members far in excess of the $45 million spent on storm hardening.

Our members enjoy daily benefits of storm hardening. When the storm hardening initiative began in 2006, FKEC’s five year average SAIDI was 103 mins/customer. Our current five year average SAIDI has been reduced to 51 mins/customer (excluding Irma). Our 2018 SAIDI was 32.1 mins/customer. This performance is in large part attributable to our stronger system.

In Summary…

• Build Strong• Make every effort to comply with FEMA

Requirements• Focus on Logistics & Communications• Plan for Chaos• Implement Boldly