Linemen Have Already Restored Power to 420,000 Homes Since Idalia’s Landfall

PERRY, FLORIDA - AUGUST 31: A lineman works to restore service in the aftermath of Hurrica
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Hannah Knudsen

Linemen have already restored power to an estimated 420,000 homes since then-Hurricane Idalia’s landfall Wednesday morning, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced Thursday.

“Less than 24 hours after landfall, our utility linemen have already restored power to 420,000 homes that lost power,” DeSantis announced.

“We are working with @DukeEnergy & @insideFPL to surge resources into the hardest hit areas to get the 140,000 homes that remain without power back up and running,” he added.

As of 12:45 p.m. Eastern, 135,080 customers were out of power in the Sunshine State. Most were counties in the Big Bend region, where Idalia made landfall as a strong Category 3 storm and made its way to southern Georgia and beyond. Suwannee County appears to have the highest number of customers without power — 23,274. Neighboring Columbia County has 19,230 customers out of power.

WATCH — POWER UP! Tallahassee Power Crew Fixes Downed Power Lines

City of Tallahassee via Storyful

Prior to the storm’s landfall, DeSantis said the state had 25,000 linemen stationed and “more on the way,” ultimately estimating between 30,000 and 40,000 ready to respond.

“HOLY COW!…Water Just Keeps Comin'”: First-Person View of Hurricane Idalia’s Destruction

Michael Presley Bobbitt / WEATHER TRAKER /TMX

DeSantis also announced Wednesday evening that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) was able to “clear all state bridges, including the Cedar Key Bridge.”

“This is an important step in recovery and will allow first responders, law enforcement, utility linemen and supplies to come onto the island,” he said.

The update follows Idalia’s impact, which primarily occurred Wednesday as it made landfall near Keaton Beach in the Florida Big Bend around 7:45 a.m., creating massive storm surges, snapping trees, and damaging homes and buildings all along its path.

WATCH — Hurricane Idalia Leaves Treasure Island Homes, Businesses DAMAGED with Floodwater

City of Treasure Island via Storyful

Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis is among those who shared images of the destruction, as a 100-year-old tree snapped in half on the Governor’s Mansion

Idalia has since been downgraded to a tropical storm off the coast of the Carolinas. The National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) 11:00 a.m. Thursday update predicts rain will “be diminishing by early afternoon from coastal North Carolina into far southeast Virginia.”

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