Massive efforts are underway to restore power in the Sunshine State in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, with tens of thousands of linemen responding to the millions without power.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and emergency officials said before the arrival of the storm that 42,000 linemen were ready to respond to the anticipated power outages across the state:
According to the PowerOutage.us tracker, 1.9 million customers are without power in Florida, but that is down from the over 2 million reported Thursday.
DeSantis said during Friday’s press conference that they are largely prioritizing” getting power and running potable water to the rest of the area’s healthcare facilities,” particularly in the southwest.
“There have been 117 facilities that had lost power that now have power restored,” he said.
WATCH:
The storm exited the northeastern portion of the state on Thursday after weakening to a Tropical Storm, only to strengthen back to a hurricane again as it angles for South Carolina’s coast, bringing life-threatening storm surge and torrential downpours.
Several images show the damage the storm inflicted across the state. Some of the most stunning images come from Fort Myers Beach in Lee County, which DeSantis said Thursday is essentially “off the grid,” along with Charlotte County.