More than 1M Floridians still without power in wake of Milton

More than 1.6 million Floridians are still without power in the wake of Hurricane Milton, according to the nationwide tracking site, PowerOutage.us.

Milton, which made landfall in Florida Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane, hit just as the state — and others in the Southeastern U.S. — were still recovering from the devestation left by Hurricane Helene two weeks earlier.

At least 17 people have been confirmed dead after Milton hit the state with heavy rain, winds that brought on tornadoes and dangerous flooding, NBC News reported. More than 3 million people experienced blackouts at one point, per the outlet, and many will not see recovery for almost a week.

As of Friday evening, Florida Power and Light Company said that there were 650,000 customers without power, but that 1.3 million had been restored.

President Biden spoke with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Thursday to discuss the impacts of the hurricane. He is expected to visit the Sunshine State on Sunday to survey the damange.

“The storm did bring much destruction and damage,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said at a Thursday morning press conference.

“We will better understand the extent of the damage as the day progresses,” DeSantis said. “The storm was significant, but thankfully, this was not the worst-case scenario.”

Similarly, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell said it looks like the state has avoided a “worst-case scenario.”

“The fact that they prepared for the worst really made sure that they were able to respond to the impacts that they have experienced, and the biggest ones right now are the tornadoes that have been reported across the state,” Criswell said in an interview Thursday with CNN.

DeSantis said relief efforts are underway — including bringing fuel and other resources to the states affected — and he noted that Florida is prepared to handle the recovery.

“It doesn’t mean there’s not going to be a lot of damage, it doesn’t mean there’s not going to be a lot we’re going to have to contend with,” he said. “But, just in terms of what we were prepped for, I think we probably have an abundance of resources.”