By Matthew Mpoke Bigg
More than 3.2 million customers in Florida were without power early Thursday because of Hurricane Milton, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks data from utility companies.
The storm’s powerful winds knocked down power lines and spread debris, making repairs difficult as work crews faced a backlog of calls for assistance.
Hardee County, about 40 miles inland from where the storm made landfall, appeared to be the hardest hit, with 98% of customers in the county without power.
In all, more than 1 in 4 customers of energy companies across the state were without power as of 6 a.m. Eastern.
The Hardee County sheriff’s office said late Wednesday that the county was “experiencing widespread power outages and downed debris.” It warned people to “remain sheltered in place as the storm has not passed.”
On Thursday morning, the sheriff’s office said: “Emergency responders are now attempting to respond to the backlog of delayed calls. Downed power lines, debris and washed-out roadways make driving conditions unsafe. Please do not drive, it is dangerous.”
As many residents and business turned to backup generators, coastal Manatee County — where more than 80% of customers were without power — warned users against placing generators indoors because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
“The invisible and odorless gas can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces,” the county government said on social media. Carbon monoxide poisoning was a significant cause of death during a winter storm in Texas in 2021 that caused widespread power outages.
Energy companies typically make extensive preparations before large storms so they can restore power quickly after an outage. Even so, the risk of hurricane-induced power outages could increase by 50% in the coming decades in some areas of the United States, including Puerto Rico, because of climate change, according to a recent report.
In Polk County, in central Florida, nearly half of the roughly 380,000 electricity customers were without power Thursday morning. At least 20 emergency shelters were open there, and authorities warned that heavy rainfall could lead to possible sewer overflows.
Nearly 30,000 of Osceola County’s more than 200,000 electricity customers had no power as of 4 a.m. local time.
“Now is the time to hunker down,” Paul Womble, the county’s emergency management director, told reporters as Milton approached Polk County on Wednesday afternoon. “It’s not safe, and the strongest part of the storm is not here.”
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