October 11, 2024
4 p.m. EDT

Hurricane Milton barreled across the Florida peninsula late Wednesday through Thursday afternoon as a strong Category 3 storm, nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage across Florida and much of the southeastern United States. Milton caused dangerous storm surge, severe winds, heavy rain, significant inland flooding, and at least 38 confirmed tornadoes.

Numbers to Know

• Prior to the storm, electric companies in the path of Milton strategically pre-positioned equipment, resources, and an army of more than 50,000 workers from at least 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada to assist in their storm response and restoration effort.
• The highest number of customers out at one time in Florida was approximately 3.4 million* on Thursday, October 10.
• Significant restoration progress is being made where damage assessments are complete and where it is safe to do so. As of 4 p.m. EDT, electric companies in Florida already had restored power to approximately 1.24 customers who were impacted at some point during the storm.
• As of 4 p.m. EDT, approximately 2.16 million electricity customers were without power as a result of Milton.* 

Earlier this afternoon, President Joe Biden discussed the ongoing power restoration and response efforts, highlighting the size of the workforce dedicated to the Milton response and the important resilience investments made by electric companies in Florida that have enabled crews to accelerate customer restoration where it is safe to do so. 

President Biden also emphasized the ongoing industry-government coordination through the CEO-led Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) to ensure unity of effort at the highest levels of government and across all segments of the industry. He and other top government officials joined the ESCC call this afternoon to meet with impacted electric company CEOs and industry executives to receive an update on the damage assessment and restoration progress and to ensure an effective and efficient response. This was the ESCC’s eighth call since Helene gained hurricane strength in the Gulf of Mexico.

Every electric company has a detailed plan for restoring power after storms. Companies impacted by Milton are assessing the damage and working around the clock to restore power safely and as quickly as possible, when and where conditions allow. Flooding and storm surge create a unique and dangerous restoration environment and can delay initial assessment efforts. In some cases, power restoration could require rebuilding energy infrastructure. You can learn more about this step-by-step process here.

It is important that Floridians stay off the roads to enable damage assessors, restoration workers, and other first responders to do their jobs. And, if you were evacuated, do not return home until local officials announce that it is safe to do so. Having roadways clogged with traffic will only impede restoration efforts.

The industry also remains focused on the rebuild and recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene, which left nearly 6 million customers* in 10 states without power. Crews continue to work day and night to rebuild energy infrastructure and to restore power to those who are able to receive it in the areas of Georgia and the Carolinas hardest hit by the storm.

As of 4 p.m. EDT, power has been restored to approximately 5.93 million customers—or 98.87 percent of those impacted by Hurricane Helene.