Florida power outages from Hurricane Ian continue for 1.6 million
A Florida street after hurricane Ian made landfall near Cayo Costa as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
More than 1.6 million Florida customers — about 15% of the state — remained without power Friday afternoon from Hurricane Ian as restoration efforts continued in the state.
The big picture: Ian unleashed widespread life-threatening storm surge flooding after making landfall as a high-end Category 4 storm near Cayo Costa Wednesday afternoon. Officials in coastal communities were responding to multiple water rescues. In Port Charlotte, storm surge flooded a hospital emergency room, per AP.
- Power outages on Thursday were at approximately 2.7 million, but power has been restored for close to 900,000 customers, according to PowerOutage.us
The latest: The vast majority of customers in many counties in southwestern Florida — including Lee and Charlotte — remained without electricity Friday.
- Hardee County had more than 99% experiencing outages with 9,474 of 9,545 tracked customers without power.
- Volusia County, which includes Daytona Beach, had about 58% without power Friday while neighboring Seminole County had 35%.
- Orange County, home to Orlando and theme parks, had 17% of customers without power.
What they're saying: "Today is the first full day of restoration after Hurricane Ian exited Florida," Florida Power & Light said in a tweet at 10:18am Friday. "More than 50% of customers have already been restored."
By the numbers: Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state's southwest saw surges as high as 12 feet in some areas.
- Ian caused over 6.18 feet of surge in Naples at 1pm Wednesday ET — a new record for the city, per a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration monitoring station.
What we're watching: The state said Thursday there were more than 42,000 lineworkers, including many from other states, responding to the power outages.
Flashback: The hurricane left all of Cuba without power late Tuesday after the storm swept through and severely flooded the island.
More from Axios:
- Hurricane Ian closings: Universal Studios, Disney, stores, schools and more closed
- Flight cancellations top 1,900 as Hurricane Ian nears Florida
- Insurance tips for homeowners pre- and post-Hurricane Ian
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.