Peter Schorsch
Duke Energy Florida is intensifying its power restoration efforts for customers who suffered the worst of Hurricane Idalia’s wrath.
Over 5,000 lineworkers, tree professionals, damage assessors and support personnel are on hand in communities still without power.
As of midday Thursday, Duke Energy had restored service to more than 150,000 customers since Tuesday evening when conditions began along parts of the Gulf Coast.
The company said Thursday that the hardest-hit locations — mainly in the Big Bend area — will require more time for damage assessment and restoration. Efforts may be delayed in some regions where heavy flooding is still present and in areas where customers are spread across many miles.
The company expects to restore any remaining customers without power outside of the hardest-hit areas by 5 p.m. Thursday, except for rare cases when power cannot be restored due to flooding.
Flooded customers must have a licensed electrician inspect the property before power can be restored.
The hardest hit areas include Alachua, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties. Those counties can expect updated information and expectations by 5 p.m. Thursday.
Other extenuating circumstances could leave some customers without power for longer. Suppose a customer’s meter box is pulled away from their house or mobile home service pole. In that case, that customer must first have an electrician reattach the box or provide a permanent fix before Duke Energy may restore power. Some areas require an electrician inspection before power restoration can be delivered. An electrician can provide the next steps for those unsure.
“We appreciate the patience of those still without service,” said Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director. “We understand how difficult it is to be without power. Our crews continue to work hard to get everyone back on as quickly and safely as possible. We ask customers to remain vigilant as they recover from this powerful storm.”
As of 3 p.m. Thursday, Duke had just 739 customers without power in Pinellas County, six in Pasco, 97 in Polk, one in Osceola, 184 in Highlands, 84 in Hernando, three in Sumter, 54 in Lake, 10 in Orange, 14 in Seminole, one in Volusia, and two in Marion counties.
The hardest hit areas still have more widespread outages, including 237 customers without power in Citrus, 2,388 in Levy, 1,422 in Dixie, 6,115 in Taylor, 4,946 in Jefferson, 3,926 in Madison, 2,659 in Hamilton, and 3,259 in Alachua counties.
Duke Energy reminds customers as they work through recovery efforts to stay away from fallen or sagging power lines and to consider all lines energized, as well as any trees, limbs, fences or other objects in contact with lines.
They also caution to only use generators outside and, for crew safety, to turn generators off when crews are in the area. Customers should avoid downed power lines and electrical wires in water, including while driving.
One comment
Pete Reiske
September 1, 2023 at 2:27 pm
Duke Energy did not not stage for the counties in the big bend and did not respond timely with a communication plan. Emergency management teams at the State level need to reevaluate how to better plan for a storm in these counties that are less populated and the Florida Legislature needs to invest in infrastructure upgrades to get power lines burried. Duke energy can pat themselves on the back all day for restoring power to unaffected areas around Orlando and Tampa but they dropped the ball in the big bend and need to be held accountable.
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