San Juan, Puerto Rico, September 20, 2022 – Today, damage assessment, restoration and reenergization efforts by LUMA and its partners continued across Puerto Rico following the severe impacts of Hurricane Fiona. With support of additional utility field workers from Quanta, LUMA has over 2,000 utility workers actively assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Fiona and making repairs. As of 1:30 p.m., nearly 300,000 customers have had their power restored, with continuing efforts to reenergize the grid and restore power as quickly and safely as possible.

“All of us at LUMA are deeply aware of the painful memories from Hurricane Maria, and the lasting effect it has had on the electric grid and the incredible people of Puerto Rico. Hurricane Fiona has, tragically, brought back many of these painful memories. While challenges exist and there is much more work to do to restore power, LUMA and all our partners will not stop until every customer is restored and the entire grid is reenergized,” said LUMA Public Safety Manager, Abner Gómez.

Among the major restoration actions that have been completed by LUMA and our partners since Monday morning include the following:

Monday, September 19

• 4:20 AM – Power restored to Metro Pavía Clinic – Carolina

• 9:00 AM – Initiated aerial damage assessments by three helicopters
• 11:00 AM – Arrival of the first 61 Quanta utility workers in Puerto Rico
• 12:00 PM – Power restored to the Carraízo dam in the municipality of Trujillo Alto and to the Sergio Cuevas water filtration plant in the municipality of San Juan
• 1:00 PM – Power restored to Diagnostic and Treatment Center Hospital in the municipality of Canovanas
• 2:00 PM – Power restored to the Caribbean Hospital in the municipality of Fajardo
• 2:30 PM – Power restored to the Cambalache 2 generation unit
• 3:30 PM – Power restored to more than 114,000 customers throughout the island and to the Piñas Filter Station and La Plata Dam in the municipality of Toa Alta, in collaboration with PRASA
• 8:00 PM – Power restored to Palo Seco 3
• 8:15 PM – Power restored to Regional District Hospital in the municipality of Arecibo
• 8:30 PM – Power restored to more than 155,000 customers throughout the island
• 11:00 PM – Power restored to more than 207,000 customers throughout the island

Tuesday, September 20

• 1:30 AM – Power restored to San Juan 9 generation unit and to more than 260,000 customers

• 3:00 AM – Conducted outreach to 36 hospitals in San Juan, confirming backup generation status and providing updates on restoration efforts
• 6:30 AM – Power Restored to more than 286,000 customers
• 1:00 PM – Four LUMA aerial units are actively patrolling around the island, with two units over Costa Sur
• 1:30 PM – Power restored to San Jorge Children’s Hospital in San Juan
• 1:30 PM – Power restored to more than 299,000 customers

Hurricane Fiona Response – LUMA Mobilization

LUMA has fully deployed a field response crew of over 2,000 utility field workers who are working in difficult conditions to repair the grid and restore power across Puerto Rico as quickly and safely as possible, including additional utility field workers provided by Quanta. All emergency response efforts are being coordinated through the LUMA Emergency Operations Center (LEOC) and includes close consultation with the Government of Puerto Rico, Municipalities, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau (PREMB), Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), the U.S. Department of Energy Support Function #12 and other government agencies to coordinate a unified response.

Among the LUMA crews mobilized and responding to the impact of Hurricane Fiona include:

• Trouble & Operations: 151 crews
  • Construction & Maintenance: 69 crews
  • Transmission Lines: 9 crews
  • Substation and Commissioning Crews: 22 crews
  • Low Voltage: 309 crews
  • Vegetation: 102 crews
  • Aviation: 5 helicopter crews
  • Damage Assessment: 85 crews

Customer Safety Messages

Since before the impact of Hurricane Fiona, LUMA has utilized a series of customer channels, such as social media and bill inserts, to communicate the importance of public safety. Specifically, LUMA has urged the public to stay away from any downed power lines. We urge the public to put their safety first. Call us immediately at 1-844-888-5862 (LUMA) to report any downed lines or electrical emergencies that require immediate attention.

Updates on Hurricane and Hurricane Response

LUMA has been, and will continue communicating about its emergency preparations, hurricane response, and the impact the hurricane has on the electric system through the news media and its social media channels. Among the critical resources LUMA is providing include the following channels:

• LUMA website: lumapr.com   
• Twitter: twitter.com/lumaenergypr
• Facebook: facebook.com/lumapuertorico
• LUMA Outage Reporting Map: miluma.lumapr.com/outages/outageMap
• Mi LUMA app notifications
• Radio public safety advertisements

About LUMA

LUMA is a Puerto Rican company that, since June 1, 2021, operates and manages the electric power transmission and distribution system in Puerto Rico. LUMA is a company driven by a mission to transform the electrical transmission and distribution system to provide all Puerto Ricans with the reliable, resilient, cleaner, and affordable electrical grid they deserve. As a customer-centric company, LUMA’s entire workforce of more than 3,000 employees is focused on safely delivering an exceptional customer service experience to its 1.5 million customers.