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Based on the current projected track and forecast for Milton, our line technicians and tree crews are diligently preparing for significant impacts to our service area and will be ready to respond once conditions allow. Currently, the storm is projected to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane as it passes through the warm waters of the Gulf, bringing dangerously high winds and storm surge.
Homes and businesses in or just outside of Milton’s direct path are at risk of experiencing catastrophic damage. While our coastal communities can expect to see the worst of the storm, others could still encounter very heavy rainfall and wind gusts up to Category 2 strength. So regardless of where you are in the state, we encourage you to prepare now.
If you experience an outage, report it by texting OUT to 57801, reporting online, through our App, or by calling 800.228.8485.
Our outage restoration process: What to expect
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Crews will begin work once conditions allow, which requires sustained winds to be under 40 mph.
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Our damage assessors will be working in tandem with our line technicians, helping locate and identify damaged electrical equipment to better inform our initial estimated times for restoration.
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With major hurricanes, heavy flooding, road inaccessibility and excessive tree debris can often slow the pace of restoration. Areas that experience comprehensive damage will take longer to assess and may result in periodic adjustments to our original estimates.
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Initial estimates indicate when service may be restored for the majority of customers in a region, but not all. Those with significant damage or challenges with accessibility may extend to later.
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We will start with critical infrastructure (hospitals, emergency facilities, water treatment plants, lift stations for wastewater, etc.). Our focus is on major transmission power lines and primary distribution lines, which can bring service back on to as many people as possible.
Hurricane Milton has the potential to bring devastating damage in and around the Tampa Bay area. Our crews are positioned just outside the storm’s projected path and will be ready to begin restoring power as soon as conditions are safe. We are mobilizing approximately 10,000 resources to respond. Despite this diligent preparation, a second consecutive hurricane bringing risks of storm surge to already compromised equipment could result in the need for more complex repairs. Customers should consider now the actions they would take if power were to be out for an extended period.
Visit FloridaDisaster.org to learn about your county’s emergency plans, warning signals, evacuation routes and locations of emergency shelters. Consider making plans for extended outages for the elderly and those with special medical needs
Make sure your contact information is up to date and your communication preferences noted so you’ll get power outage updates.
We’ll keep you informed with additional updates throughout the event. Stay safe.
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