While damage assessment is ongoing, Duke Energy Florida is now beginning power restoration in many areas impacted by Hurricane Milton and will issue estimated times of restoration for all customers later this afternoon. As of 9 a.m. ET, nearly 350,000 outages have been restored, and over 850,000 outages still exist throughout the company's service territory.
"From downed trees and branches falling on our power lines to storm surge flooding our equipment – which causes almost immediate corrosion – our infrastructure was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton. We're making repairs where we can, but we anticipate we will need to rebuild in many areas," said Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director. "Despite that, our crews are doing all they can, even working through the night, to get the lights back on for as many customers as possible as quickly as possible."
Duke Energy Florida has 16,000 resources supporting power restoration. Crews are staged at base camps in areas hardest hit by the storm:
- Bexley Properties (Land O' Lakes)
- Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport
- Manheim Orlando (Winter Garden)
- Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers
- Sebring Raceway
- Seminole Towne Center
- Tropicana Field
- The Villages
For customers who are using a generator, Duke Energy Florida offers the following safety tips:
- Only operate a generator outside and connect appliances directly to it.
- Do not wire your generator directly to your breaker fuse box, as it could backfeed on power lines.
- Please watch for utility crews and turn the generator off when crews are in your area. The electrical load on the power lines can be hazardous for those making repairs.
- Have a fully charged, properly rated fire extinguisher (i.e., rated for electrical and gas fires) ready at all times.
