San Juan, Puerto Rico, August 12, 2021 — Failures in the fragile electrical power transmission and distribution system caused by the storm conditions of Potential Tropical Cyclone 6 (now Tropical Storm Fred) caused service interruptions to over 6,000 LUMA customers.
As of 8:00 a.m. today, service had been restored to 90% of customers impacted by the storm. Service is expected to be restored to all customers affected by the storm by midnight today.
In preparation for the storm, LUMA activated its Emergency Operations Center and deployed company representatives to the central government’s Emergency Operations Center, as indicated in the company’s Emergency Management Plan.
Following the standard processes of the utility industry, once the weather conditions were safe, damage assessment and restoration crews arrived at the affected municipalities in the west and southwest of the island. The emergency response included the activation of one helicopter from the air fleet, 175 ground fleet vehicles and more than 350 field employees. Restoration work is carried out in a coordinated manner and under high standards of compliance with safety, while prioritizing lifeline residential customers who need electricity to operate medical equipment and Community Lifelines, including health, safety, transportation, and communications facilities. Also, customer service personnel continued to operate at regular hours through call centers and regional customer service centers.
“At LUMA we take our responsibility to provide reliable electricity service to our customers in Puerto Rico seriously. Although, fortunately, the effects of the storm were mild, the fragility of the system caused failures that we must repair. Thanks to the rigor of our emergency response plans, we coordinated with emergency responders all the necessary resources and restored service in a safe, orderly manner,” said Wayne Stensby, president and CEO of LUMA.
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About LUMA:
LUMA is a Puerto Rican company that, since June 1, 2021, operates Puerto Rico’s electric power transmission and distribution system. LUMA is a mission-driven company dedicated to transforming the electric transmission and distribution system to provide all Puerto Ricans with the reliable, resilient, and affordable power grid they deserve. As a customer-centric company, LUMA’s entire workforce is focused on safely delivering an exceptional customer service experience to our more than 1 million customers.
