NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA (352today.com) – With coordinated efforts, significant progress has been made to restore power to Floridians after Hurricane Milton. Crews continue working tirelessly to make sure all communities have electricity as quickly as possible.
“We have an army of people here, and we will not stop until everyone gets their power on,” says Withlacoochee River Electric Co-op (WREC) General Manager David Lambert.
SECO Energy says that it also has made significant progress. “Over 55,000 accounts were restored in less than 24 hours. We know there are thousands of members who are still waiting for restoration, and we care about each one of them,” Curtis Wynn, Chief Executive Officer of SECO Energy, states. “Our entire working crew is doing their best to serve every member whether they are working in the field, answering phones, or providing office support; please continue to be patient with them. This is a team effort to restore service for all affected. Safety is a top priority during outage restoration. There are poles and trees still down in our service area and they are out today in full force across our service area to continue restoring service.”
Ocala Electric Utility (OEU) posted on its Facebook page, “We appreciate all the support and patience during our restoration process.”
Ocala Electric Utility: 100% Power Restoration
Ocala Electric Utility has fully restored power to all customers. A total of 19,942 customers were affected by 289 outages caused by Hurricane Milton. The utility appreciates the patience and support from the community during this restoration process.
SECO Energy: Major Progress in Multiple Counties
SECO Energy is working tirelessly to restore power across multiple service areas, including South Lake County, Citrus County, Paisley, St. John’s, Marion Oaks, Lake Pan, and Rainbow Lakes. Early Friday morning, 45,000 accounts were still without power. Crews are working 24/7, taking breaks only for meals and sleep, with a strong emphasis on member safety.
WREC: Nonstop Effort to Restore Power
WREC’s General Manager David Lambert emphasized the relentless effort: “We will not stop until everyone gets their power on.” Overnight, power was restored to 3,000 more members, and today, crews are focusing on restoring power to the Neff Lake, Trilby, and Nobleton areas.
Central Florida Electric Cooperative: Help from Nationwide Co-ops
With assistance from WREC and electric co-ops across the U.S., Central Florida Electric Cooperative successfully restored power to all affected customers, ensuring faster recovery from Hurricane Milton’s impact.
Clay Electric Co-op: 99% Restored, Full Restoration by Saturday
As of Friday afternoon, 99% of Clay Electric Co-op’s members have their power back. The remaining customers are expected to have service restored by Saturday afternoon.
Florida Power & Light (FP&L): Over 1.6 Million Customers Restored
FP&L restored power to over 1.6 million customers affected by the storm. With 20,000 personnel working around the clock, they are committed to restoring service quickly and safely. FP&L also offers essential services such as ice, bottled water, and mobile charging stations for those still without power.
Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU): Full Restoration & Support for MacDill AFB
GRU restored power to over 4,255 customers thanks to the assistance from out-of-state utilities like Lubbock Power & Light and Riviera Utilities. On Saturday morning, GRU Water/Wastewater crews headed to MacDill Air Force Base to provide generator support for critical systems.
Leesburg Electric: 84% Restored, More Help Coming
Leesburg Electric has restored power to 84% of its customer base as of late Friday. Assistance from linemen and tree trimmers from Troy, Alabama, and Key West, Florida, will boost efforts through the weekend, aiming for full restoration soon.
Duke Energy: Full Restoration Expected by Sunday
Duke Energy is utilizing 16,000 personnel to restore power to customers in Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, and Sumter counties. They anticipate having all customers back online by the end of Sunday.