The latest: Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is prepared to respond to Hurricane Milton. The storm’s powerful feeder bands are already bringing strong winds, heavy rainfall and tornadoes to Florida. FPL crews will restore power between bands of severe weather as long as it is safe. FPL urges customers across the state to prepare for the potential of extended outages.
Why it matters: Hurricane Milton is an unprecedented storm. Its catastrophic winds, torrential rainfall, life-threatening storm surge and significant flooding are expected to cause prolonged outages across the state, even in areas outside of the direct path of the storm. The powerful and massive storm is projected to cause significant damage and create restoration challenges, amplified by weeks of heavy rain across the state and the lingering impacts from Hurricane Helene.
A word from FPL President and CEO Armando Pimentel: “We have a restoration workforce of 17,000 men and women and we have pre-positioned crews throughout the state. We are ready to respond and restore power as quickly as possible. It’s a powerful storm. There will be outages. Rest assured, we will not stop until every single customer has power.”
What FPL is doing:
- Setting up 29 staging, parking and processing sites to help speed restoration.
- Pre-positioning supplies, equipment and a restoration workforce of more than 17,000 men and women from 40 states to support restoration efforts.
- Preparing crews to conduct damage assessments in order to give customers an accurate estimate of when power will be restored.
What customers should do before the storm:
- Prepare for extended outages, even for those who live outside of the storm’s forecasted track.
- Safety is FPL’s top priority for its crews and customers. Even when the winds subside, conditions can be dangerous. Customers should continue to heed warnings from local emergency officials.
- Customers dependent on electric-powered, life-sustaining medical equipment should be ready to execute their family emergency plans for backup power or relocate now.
- Stay far away from downed power lines, flooding and debris; assume that lines are energized.
- Use extreme caution while driving. Power interruptions may cause traffic signals to stop working without warning. If you come to an intersection with a non-working traffic signal, Florida law requires that you treat it as a four-way stop.
- If you are using a portable generator, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for proper use. Never operate a generator inside your home or garage.
- If customers have an emergency, call 911.
- If power goes out, FPL is aware and has crews responding as long as it is safe to do so. However, customers can report a downed power line or sparking electrical equipment to FPL by calling 1-800-4-OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243).
How customers can stay connected: FPL communicates restoration information to customers frequently through the news media and the following resources:
- FPL website: FPL.com
- X: X.com/insideFPL
- Facebook: facebook.com/FPLconnect
- Instagram: Instagram.com/insidefpl
- FPL Power Tracker: FPL.com/powertracker
- FPL Power Tracker (Northwest Florida): FPL.com/mypowertracker
- FPL app: Download from the App Store or Google Play, or text the word “App” to MyFPL (69375)
Visuals to download: FPL Newsroom Digital Library
How to reach us:
- 561-694-4442
- Media.relations@fpl.com
- X: @FPL_Newsroom
Additional resources:
FPL is finalizing its preparations and urging customers across the state to be ready for potential prolonged outages.
Hurricane and tropical storm watches are in effect as Hurricane Milton - a major hurricane expected to make landfall on Florida’s west coast.
A state of emergency is in effect for 51 counties. FPL is preparing for a projected Hurricane Milton landfall along Florida's West Coast.