How Hurricane Ian changed the way Florida prepares for hurricanes

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WINK) — Hurricane Ian made landfall nearly four years ago, but for utilities like Florida Power & Light, the lessons from that storm are still being used today.

From flooding to downed power lines to the speed of restoration, crews say every storm since has helped shape a stronger response. WINK News was invited to see how Ian continues to influence the way Florida prepares for the next big hit.

"When I go to the West Coast, and I talk to folks, they certainly bring up Ian, bring up the hurricane, but they also bring up the storms that hit them in 2023 and the storms that hit them in 2024," said Armando Pimental, CEO of Florida Power & Light.

Pimental says Hurricane Ian is still the "blueprint storm." The Category 4 hurricane reshaped how FPL prepares and responds.

"Because of Ian, we have changed our processes. Who to bring in for a storm that's going to have a lot of surge and flooding, when to bring them in, how to prepare our equipment," Pimental said.

One of those changes includes plug monitors at substations. FPL has deployed these devices at 240 substations throughout its service territory.

"This just keeps us in the know and lets us know if there is flooding impacting our substation," said Karmel Eppinger, FPL.

Trees remain the biggest outage culprit, prompting FPL to move power lines. The utility is focusing on burying overhead neighborhood lines through its storm-secure underground program.

But with flooding still a threat, FPL has adapted its approach. The utility now uses water-resistant covers on underground equipment to help prevent flooding.

"We believe the hybrid system, or the grid of the future, is a combination of both underground and overhead," Eppinger said.

Above it all, drones are now on patrol, powered by Artificial Intelligence. The technology allows FPL to collect thousands of pictures and process them quickly.

"Having an AI model to process that photo to identify equipment on a pole to help us identify what's in the field or identify a problem," said Michael Dorr, FPL drone unit.

The drones enable faster inspections, faster response, and fewer surprises. Dorr says the technology benefits both the utility and its customers.

"It saves time, money, and frustration for our customers," Dorr said.

Pimental remains confident in FPL's readiness for whatever comes next. The CEO says the utility is prepared to respond to whatever the upcoming hurricane season brings.

"Hopefully we have a very safe hurricane season this year, but even if it's a bunch of hurricanes, please rest assured that we are going to do our job and we will get you back up," Pimental said.