Florida returning to something like normal after Hurricane Milton
CTV
Florida counties hard hit by Hurricane Milton are returning to a semblance of normalcy, with power restored to most areas on Monday, gas stations reopening and students preparing to return to school.
Florida counties hard hit by Hurricane Milton are returning to a semblance of normalcy, with power restored to most areas on Monday, gas stations reopening and students preparing to return to school.
Still, some hard-hit neighborhoods remained without power, with many severely damaged homes and businesses, their streets flooded and filled with debris. Those could take some time to recover.
As of Monday afternoon, Florida power companies had restored electricity to almost 90 per cent of the 3.4 million homes and businesses that lost service after Milton made landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane south of Tampa, smacking the region with 120 mph (205 kph) winds and a storm surge of up to 10 feet (three metres) and killing at least 11 people, less than two weeks after Helene inflicted major damage.
The region's three major power companies expect that more than 95 per cent of their customers who lost power will have it restored by Tuesday night, having deployed thousands of workers to quickly repair lines, poles and other infrastructure.
“I know those guys got in and started working as soon as it was possible,” Gov. Ron DeSantis told a Monday news conference at SeaPort Manatee, just south of Tampa Bay. He said the recovery has been “very rapid and we appreciate what they've been able to do.”
Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy and TECO Energy also credited efforts over the last decade to put more power lines underground, install stronger utility poles and adopt technology that enables electricity to be rerouted around damaged equipment.
Areas that remain flooded will be the last to get power, and homes with damaged electrical systems won’t be able to receive it, the companies said.
