More than 99% of Manatee County now has power restored after Hurricane Ian
More than 99% of Manatee County homes and businesses have had power restored after Hurricane Ian left the majority of the county in the dark.
As of 10 a.m. Thursday, there were 1,373 FPL and Peace River Electric Cooperative customers still without power.
Statewide, FPL has restored the power for more than 2.1 million customers, FPL CEO Eric Silagy said at a news briefing Thursday just outside a Fort Myers Beach substation.
In Lee County — ground zero for where Hurricane Ian made landfall — more than 94% of FPL customers have been restored.
“We will continue to work around the clock until those remaining customers who are able to receive power are restored,” he said. “We also continue to coordinate closely with local, state and federal officials to make sure we are safely being able to restore power to everyone. Lots of destruction in the area. Many buildings are unsafe and need to be reinspected before they can have the power turned back on.”
Currently, FPL has a workforce that includes more than 21,000 people from more than 30 states working on restoration efforts.
Out east in Myakka City — where Manatee County saw the worst of Hurricane Ian — restoring power to flooded or inaccessible homes and businesses will be restored when conditions allow, Peace River Electric Coop spokesman Mark Sellers said.
The Myakka River is now at moderate flood stage after being in major flood stage since Ian, the National Weather Service’s gauge in Sarasota County shows.
A flood warning is still in effect for the Myakka River, Peace River and Horse Creek near Arcadia.
This story was originally published October 6, 2022 at 11:58 AM.
