Co-ops Vote
Outage Center
Thursday 8/8 9 a.m.
Our crews made incredible progress overnight, restoring remaining outages. We’re pleased to report that we’ve exceeded our goal of 95% restoration system-wide, with 97% of meters now restored across our service area.
Currently, there are 35 meters still awaiting restoration in Levy County, 104 meters awaiting restoration in Gilchrist County, and 509 meters awaiting restoration in Dixie County, which was by far our hardest-hit area.
We understand that being without power for a few days is difficult, and we truly appreciate your patience. Restoration efforts on this scale take time, and while everyone is important to us, the work must be done safely and methodically. Thank you for your ongoing support as we wrap up the final stages of restoration following Hurricane Debby.
Wednesday 8/7 5 p.m.
- 2,354 total meters remaining without power. Since we were able to begin work, we have been able to restore 18,695 meters.
- We currently have 99% of members in Levy County restored, with only 36 meters still awaiting restoration.
- We currently have 95% of members in Gilchrist County restored, with 440 meters still awaiting restoration.
- We currently have 77% of members in Dixie County restored, with 1,877 meters still awaiting restoration.
We are still hopeful we will be able to meet our goal of at least 95% restoration in all three counties this evening and will continue to work through the night and day tomorrow to restore the remaining 5% of outages requiring more extensive repairs.
Wednesday 8/7 1 p.m.
- Dixie – 2179 (73% with power)
- Gilchrist – 1083 (87% with power)
- Levy – 141 (99% with power)
- Alachua – 18 (98% with power)
As crews continue to progress further into affected areas, they are finding more extensive damage than initially anticipated. Many of these outages are requiring extensive clearing and repairs, resulting in longer restoration times than expected. Restoring power after a hurricane is a massive undertaking, and estimating when everyone will have power again is tough. The timelines we give are our goals, and while we aim high, it’s not always possible to hit the mark perfectly. Rest assured, we are working tirelessly to restore power to those still without electricity.
We know how frustrating it is to be without power, especially when you see your neighbors getting theirs back. Even if you don’t see a truck on your street, please know we’re doing everything we can to get your power back on as soon as possible.
We still aim to achieve at least 95% restoration for those able to accept power across all counties we serve by around 9 p.m. this evening.
We sincerely thank our members for their patience, understanding, and kind words as we continue to perform our work.
Wednesday 8/7 9 a.m.
- Levy County: 99% restored, with just 196 members still awaiting restoration.
- Gilchrist County: 83% restored, with 1,402 meters still awaiting restoration.
- Dixie County: 70% restored, with 2,453 meters still awaiting restoration.
- Alachua County (primarily Newberry area): 88% restored, with 113 meters still awaiting restoration.
Tuesday 8/6 8 a.m.
Our crews worked tirelessly through the night to restore power across our service area. As of 8 a.m. this morning, we have successfully restored power to 11,250 members following the impact of Hurricane Debby, which brought heavy rain, high winds, and catastrophic flooding for parts of our service area.
Today marks our first full day of restoration efforts, and we are committed to working diligently until every member has their power back.
Monday 8/5 10 p.m.
Crews are still working throughout the service area as we go into the evening hours tonight. They have now been able to restore approximately 8,668 members with power since Hurricane Debby hit our service area.
As we close out the day, we thank our members for their patience as crews work long hours to get the lights back on. They will continue to work diligently until the entire system is restored.
Monday 8/5 7 p.m.
Central Florida Electric Cooperative Mobilizes in Response to Hurricane Debby
Chiefland, FL - (August 5, 2024) Hurricane Debby made landfall on Florida's Big Bend at 7 a.m. this morning as a Category 1 hurricane – bringing with it 80 mph winds, dangerous storm surge, and major flooding, resulting in widespread power outages across the CFEC service area.
CFEC has swiftly mobilized in response to Hurricane Debby, now that it is safe to do so. We have deployed a total of 66 crews across our service area to assess damage, clear trees and debris, and begin widespread restoration efforts. This includes in-house CFEC crews, contract crews, and mutual aid crews working together to restore power as quickly as possible. Additionally, 12 specialized crews are focused on assessing and repairing any damage to our fiber network. In total, we have over 382 sets of boots on the ground, evenly distributed throughout affected areas, working to restore power. We are also continuing to work closely with First Responders and Emergency Management throughout our service territory to ensure all restoration is completed as safely and efficiently as possible.
At the peak of the storm, approximately 21,049 CFEC meters were without power. Since our crews were able to safely begin their work this morning, they have been able to restore over 6,849 of those affected. Crews will continue to work until every affected member is restored to full service.
- We expect we will be fully restored in Levy and Gilchrist Counties by 9 p.m. tomorrow evening (08/06).
- Dixie County received the hardest blow from Debby, and as a result, has more extensive damage leading to slightly longer restoration times. Despite this, we expect we will be fully restored in Dixie County by noon on Wednesday (08/07).
Full restoration is considered to be met when all affected meters have been restored, excluding those that are currently unable to receive power due to flooding or other circumstances or have extenuating damages that will take ongoing coordination to repair.
Debby also impacted our fiber network, resulting in 3,200 fiber outages. However, many of these outages may be due to power loss rather than actual damage to the fiber network. As power restoration progresses, we will gain a clearer understanding of the actual impact on our fiber network. Once power is fully restored, we will provide updated information and begin focused restoration efforts on the fiber side.
We're deeply grateful for the outpouring of support our members have shown for our employees and the crews who have come from other areas to lend a hand. To those still waiting for the lights to come back on, please know that even if you don't see trucks working on your street, our crews are working tirelessly to restore power to every single Central Florida Electric member. We appreciate your patience as we work to get the power back on in the community we all call home. Rest assured, we are doing everything in our power to get the job done as quickly and safely as possible. Members can continue to receive updates on our restoration efforts post-Debby through the Central Florida Electric Cooperative, Inc. Facebook page and www.cfec.com.
Monday 8/5 8 a.m.
We are seeing widespread impacts across our service area this morning from Hurricane Debby as we now have 222 outages affecting approximately 16,834 members, and could see more as Debby continues her path over our state.
Line crews worked throughout the night restoring outages until it was no longer safe do so due to high winds. CFEC Dispatch and Operations teams are closely monitoring our system and Debby in order to organize and deploy restoration efforts once again, as soon as we are safe to do so.
We encourage all our members and their families to stay in their safe shelter spot throughout the morning until the storm has fully passed and conditions are safe.
We will begin our work very soon and will not stop working until each and every member is restored.
Friday 8/2 5 p.m.
CFEC Prepares for Potential Impacts from Tropical Wave Invest 97L
Chiefland, FL - (August 2, 2024) Central Florida Electric Cooperative has initiated its Emergency Response Plan and is closely monitoring the path and potential impacts of the developing storm system, currently called Invest 97L, as it develops, preparing to respond quickly and safely when outages occur. If sustained winds reach 39 mph, it will become Tropical Storm Debby, the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.
Based on the latest forecasting, Invest 97L is expected to likely develop into a tropical storm over the weekend before making landfall on the Florida Gulf Coast by Monday morning. The CFEC area is likely to begin seeing impacts from wind and rain starting late Saturday evening into Sunday morning. Residents should prepare for strong winds, heavy rainfall and potential flooding, especially in low-lying areas.
As a part of our proactive approach to storm preparation and restoration, CFEC is executing our storm response plan to mitigate damage to both our electric system and our newly built fiber network and ensure quick recovery. Crews have been preparing, gathering materials and prepping trucks with all necessary supplies and equipment for repairing outages that are likely to occur because of the storm. System operators are monitoring the CFEC power system and weather on a daily, 24-hour basis and all other employees are on high alert, ready to respond to member needs, including the cooperative’s member/customer service contact center.
In addition to CFEC’s 16 in-house line crews, we have an additional 12 contract crews already on-site and on standby to assist in electric restoration efforts. On the fiber side, we have 6 crews on stand-by to repair any mainline fiber that is affected, as well as 6 crews on stand-by to assist with any impacts to fiber home installations and business services. We also work closely with First Responders and Emergency Management throughout our service territory before, during, and after the storm to ensure all restoration is completed as safely and efficiently as possible.
While we will do everything in our power to restore any damage our systems may sustain from the storm, CFEC urges members to act now and make their own preparations to remain safe and comfortable in the event of an outage.
How You Can Prepare:
- Assemble an emergency kit. It should include at least a three-day supply of water, nonperishable food, medication, first aid supplies, a flashlight, weather radio and extra batteries. Include a list of emergency contacts.
- Charge your cell phone and have external, backup power sources charged.
- Develop an evacuation plan in case it’s needed. Communicate the plan to your family. Include pets or livestock in your plan.
- Secure outdoor items. Safely store lawn furniture, decorations, toys, garbage cans and other items that can be brought indoors.
- Close windows and doors in the event of high winds.
- Fuel up. Fill up your vehicles before the storm as a loss of power could affect gas stations.
- Consider having supplies handy for your propane or charcoal grill. Be sure to grill outdoors in well-ventilated areas for safety.
Keep the CFEC outage reporting number handy: 1-800-227-1302. Members can also report
outages on the Power Partner mobile app, available for free on app stores.
As a reminder, if heavy rains and strong winds lead to downed lines, stay away! Contact with
downed lines can be dangerous, even deadly. Report downed lines of any kind to CFEC at 1-800-227-1302 or call 911 immediately.