CFEC Prepares for Hurricane Milton

Tropical Storm Milton is forecast to rapidly intensify as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico, nearing major hurricane strength by midweek. Impacts from life-threatening storm surge, strong winds, and flooding rainfall are expected to begin affecting the West Coast of Florida as early as Tuesday night or Wednesday.

We understand how overwhelming it is to be facing another significant storm so soon after Hurricane Helene. Our community has already been through so much, but together, we will once again rise to the challenge.

CFEC’s Response: Ready for Milton

Despite the challenges left by Hurricane Helene, CFEC is fully prepared to handle the potential impacts of Hurricane Milton. Many of the additional crews brought in to assist with Helene remain on standby and will be dispatched to the areas most in need based on the storm’s path. We’ve activated our Emergency Response Plan and are coordinating across teams to ensure the quickest and safest response.

Here’s how we’re preparing:

• 24/7 Monitoring: Our team continues to track both the storm and the state of the power grid in real time.
• Additional Crews Ready to Assist: Many of the external contractors and line workers that helped with Helene are still on standby, ready to be dispatched to the hardest-hit areas.
• Fully Stocked Basecamp: Crews have prepared supplies, transformers, poles, and other equipment needed for rapid response.
• Coordination with Local Authorities: We’re in constant communication with local Emergency Management teams to ensure efficient and safe operations.

What You Can Do Now to Prepare:

If Helene taught us anything, it’s that we all need to be as prepared as possible. With Hurricane Milton, it’s crucial that everyone takes steps now to protect themselves and their families, as the potential for extended outages is once again very real. We encourage members to take these steps now:

• Prepare an emergency kit with food, water, medications, flashlights, and batteries.
• Charge your devices fully, including phones and external batteries.
• Secure outdoor items that could become dangerous projectiles in high winds.
• Fuel up your vehicles and have gas for generators if possible.
• Keep the CFEC outage reporting number handy: 1-800-227-1302, or report outages online at https://www.cfec.com/outage-center/report-an-outage/.