LUMA has partially activated its Emergency Operations Center in preparation for possible storm impact; urges customers to prepare for possible storm-related outages
San Juan, Puerto Rico, September 06, 2023 – In preparation for potential impacts from Tropical Storm Lee, LUMA has initiated its emergency response plan, including readying resources and personnel and the partial activation of its LUMA Emergency Operations Center (LEOC) to manage operations, before, during and in response to the storm. As of 11:00am today, The National Weather Service forecast shows that Tropical Storm Lee is moving north of Puerto Rico and may result in heavy rainfall and strong winds throughout the island later this week and into the weekend. As part of its emergency response planning, LUMA encourages customers to prepare for potential storm impacts and possible storm-related power outages.
“Staying prepared for emergency events is a year-round priority for the more than 4,000 men and women of LUMA. As we closely monitor updates on Tropical Storm Lee, our team is taking proactive measures in accordance with our emergency response plan, which includes working closely with the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau (PREMB) and other relevant authorities to ensure a coordinated emergency response. As part of our preparations, we are also readying additional crews and equipment to respond, if necessary, to any potential outages as quickly and safely as possible. Lastly, we are encouraging all our customers to take steps now to prepare,” said LUMA President and Chief Executive Officer Juan Saca.
LUMA is Prepared to Respond to Tropical Storm Lee
As part of its emergency response plan, LUMA continuously trains and prepares for emergencies, and is ready to mobilize an array of resources, including:
- 4,000+ employees engaged to support LUMA customers throughout the event,
- 1,400+ field workers, from line workers to substation technicians, who are trained and available to respond to emergencies,
- 1,800+ fleet units fueled and ready to deploy for emergency response,
- More than $190 million worth of on-hand inventory of transmission and distribution materials to quickly make repairs,
- 39,300+ hours of FEMA emergency training completed by LUMA team members,
- 3,300+ miles of lines cleared of vegetation to reduce hazards and increase reliability,
- 9,000+ utility poles replaced to withstand 160 mph winds, and
- Direct coordination with PREMB, Genera, FEMA, the U.S. Department of Energy Support Function other government agencies, as needed, to coordinate a unified response.
Important Public Messages
LUMA urges the public to always put their safety first, especially when major storms impact Puerto Rico. As part of its customer safety efforts, any member of the public should immediately call 1-844-888-5862 (LUMA) to report any downed lines or electrical emergencies that require immediate attention. As always, LUMA reminds customers to stay away from any low hanging or downed power lines.
In case of outages, LUMA is urging all customers to report outage events by using the Mi LUMA web portal or app available at miluma.lumapr.com.
Customer Information Resources
LUMA communicates event information to customers frequently through the news media and the following resources:
- LUMA website: lumapr.com
- Twitter: twitter.com/lumaenergypr
- Facebook: facebook.com/lumapuertorico
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lumapuertorico/
- LUMA Outage Map: https://miluma.lumapr.com/outages/outageMap
- Mi LUMA App
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 4,000 employees is focused on safely delivering an exceptional customer service experience to its 1.5 million customers.
