Ryan Nicol
Power is returning for hundreds of thousands of Floridians who lost service during Helene’s impact late Thursday into Friday.
The Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) said Friday that it has restored power to 65% of its customers, or more than 460,000 consumers.
Around 214,000 customers still remain without power.
FPL has activated a workforce of over 10,000 to work on power restoration. That includes workers from outside Florida—23 states in all—who moved to the affected areas to start restoring power.
That work began before the storm hit, with FPL activating restoration teams waiting to act once it became safe.
There remain areas throughout the state where restoring power is still tricky. According to an FPL release, Helene’s “devastating winds, heavy rainfall, significant flooding and dangerous storm surge have created restoration challenges in impacted areas.”
“Though our system held up well and our team of thousands continues to work around the clock, some of our customers remain without power,” said FPL President and CEO Armando Pimentel.
“To them, we have a simple message: We will not stop until your lights are back on.”
The company is continuing to advise customers not to go anywhere near downed power lines, as they may still be energized and could electrocute you. People without power should only use portable generators outdoors and at a safe distance from the home. The company also has a readout of all areas where power is lost, so there is no need to contact FPL to notify them of power issues.
According to the company’s latest release, they continue working as follows:
— Restoring power as part of its around-the-clock restoration efforts.
— Continuing to assess the damage, including using drones to speed restoration.
— Coordinating with local emergency management officials to clear roads for lineworkers.
— Working to provide estimated times of restoration for customers. More information will be provided later today.
