Hurricane Milton: When will my power be back on? Here's what has to happen first (2024)

Table of Contents
How soon will power be restored? Why isn't my power on yet? How to stay safe after the storm How do I report or check on power outages?

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Hurricane Milton barreled over Florida overnight Wednesday and Thursday morning, smashing buildings, flooding roads and homes, and taking out large chunks of power grids. As of Thursday morning, nearly 3 million outages have been reported, according to USA TODAY data, with Hillsborough, Pinellas, Lee and Sarasota counties the hardest hit.

Some residents may have to wait days or even weeks for their lights to come back on.

Areas along the west coast were still struggling to recover from Hurricane Helene when Milton hit, and back-to-back hurricanes complicate restoration attempts, officials said.

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"We were able to restore about 2.4 million after Helene relatively quickly," Gov. Ron DeSantis told CNBC Thursday. "This is even more significant in power outages, and we also have some damage on the east coast of Florida.

"But our guys are on it. We staged 50,000 utility workers in Florida," he said. "We brought them from as far away as California to be ready to go as soon as that storm has passed. They're already on the west coast of Florida working to restore people's power.

"We'll survey the damage, get people back on their feet. We'll get through this," he said.

DeSantis:3.1 million in Florida without power, but Milton wasn't 'worst case scenario'

How soon will power be restored?

“We are ready to respond and restore power as quickly as possible," Florida Power & Light President and CEO Armando Pimentel said in a release prior to the storm. "We will not stop until every single customer has power.”

Duke Energy Florida announced earlier this week the company was mobilizing about 10,000 responders, including crews from Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, as it prepared for an expected 1 million power outages. As of Thursday morning, approximately 850,000 Duke Energy power outages had been reported, according to a release.

Restoration efforts will be launched when and where it is safe to do so. But restoration could face problems left over from the last storm. Even after Milton has moved on, loosened dirt and flooding could take out more power lines.

"Heavy rain across the state over the last few weeks has saturated the ground ahead of Milton’s projected landfall," FPL said. "This makes trees and other vegetation susceptible to falling and damaging powerlines — even in areas forecast to get little to no wind from the storm. This will magnify Milton’s impact, particularly in places that still have wet conditions and storm debris from Hurricane Helene."

Why isn't my power on yet?

Power restoration is prioritized to restore power to the largest number of customers as quickly as possible. According to FPL, priorities are given to:

  • Power plants and damaged lines and substations.
  • Critical facilities such as hospitals, police and fire stations, communication facilities, water treatment plants and transportation providers.
  • Major thoroughfares with supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations and other needed community services.
  • Smaller groups and local areas.

You may be on a different line than your neighbors, even if they're across the street. There may be other complications with your line that require more or specialized work and crews may focus first on getting the easiest ones back up. Your power company should be able to provide you with an estimate for when you can expect restoration.

If your home has sustained damage to the property's meter base, breaker panel or interior electrical wiring that would make it unsafe to restore power, you'll have to have that taken care of and possibly inspected before power can be turned back on.

If that is the case, contact your local municipality for guidance. Inspections may be required after repairs are complete.

How to stay safe after the storm

  • Do not walk, swim or drive through floodwaters. There's no way to tell if a loose power line could be in there. Back up and pick another path.
  • If rising floodwaters threaten your home or business, or if you are forced to evacuate, turn off your power at the circuit breaker panel or fuse box.
  • Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging. Assume any power line you see is active.
  • Report downed lines to 911 and your local power company and stay at least 35 feet away from them and anything they are touching.
  • If a power line falls across a vehicle while you're in it, stay in it and call for help. If you have to get out due to fire or flooding, jump out and land with both feet, making sure you do not touch the car and the ground at the same time.
  • Never touch a circuit breaker or replace a fuse while standing on a wet surface. If a circuit breaker has been tripped, contact an electrician to inspect it before turning it on.
  • Don't use any electrical equipment or electronics that have been submerged. Have a qualified electrical inspector check the electrical system.

How do I report or check on power outages?

Check your utility bill for contact information. Some common power companies in Florida are:

Samantha Neely, a reporter with USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, contributed to this article.

Hurricane Milton: When will my power be back on? Here's what has to happen first (2024)
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