Ryan Nicol
The Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is ready to respond as customers lose power due to Hurricane Helene, which has now reached Category 3 strength.
Thousands of workers are prepared to restore service as quickly as possible after the storm makes landfall on Thursday night.
“Customers need to be prepared for potential widespread, extended power outages and continue to keep safety first,” reads a news release from FPL.
“The storm will bring devastating winds, heavy rainfall, flooding and dangerous storm surge throughout much of the state as it approaches land. Downed trees, flooding and other damage could delay restoration efforts.”
The National Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. advisory showed Helene has reached Category 3 with sustained winds around 110 mph. The storm sits about 195 miles southwest of Tampa and 230 miles south of Apalachicola.
Some have already started losing power as the storm brushes the state. As of noon, the Public Service Commission shows nearly 27,000 customers, including nearly 18,000 serviced by FPL, were without power across Florida.
More than 5,200 FPL customers have lost power in Miami-Dade County, more than 3,200 in Palm Beach County, and just under 3,100 in Broward.
FPL President and CEO Armando Pimentel says his company’s teams are already hard at work wherever it is safe to begin restoring power. They will be ready to go as soon as possible after the storm’s full impact.
“We have crews positioned throughout the state,” Pimentel said. “They are actively responding and restoring power and will continue to do so as the weather allows. We will not stop until every customer is restored.”
