Utility Workers Prepare For Mass Outages Ahead Of Hurricane Michael
Residents are bracing Wednesday for what could be a very dangerous storm in Hurricane Michael, and utility workers are getting ready for potential large-scale power outages in northwest Florida.
Floridians in Bay County have been ordered to shelter in place and stay off the roads ahead of the Category 4 storm.
"The time for evacuating along the coast has come and gone," Florida Gov. Rick Scott wrote on Twitter. "First responders will not be able to come out in the middle of the storm. If you chose to stay in an evacuation zone, you must seek refuge immediately."
Inland counties may have one last chance to evacuate if local officials say it's safe, Scott added in a news conference.
"That means the water will come miles in-shore," he said. "Listen to local officials. We can rebuild your house but we cannot rebuild your life."
In addition to storm surge, hurricane force winds are expected to cause widespread power outages. Electrical line crews from across the country are heading for Florida ahead of the storm so they are in position to restore power after the storm passes.
More than 200 utility workers gathered at the Pensacola Interstate Fairgrounds Tuesday from as far away as Michigan. Combined with Gulf Power's employees and contractors, there are more than 19,000 crews ready to go, Scott said.
"We stage them here at the fair grounds. They park their trucks here, we feed them and we give them a safety briefing and check them in," said Gulf Power spokesman Gordon Paulus. "We have to wait until the storm passes to see where they're going to go. We're going to work as fast as possible to get your power turned back on."
Millions of Floridians lose power a year ago when Hurricane Irma affected the entire state. Some were without electricity for more than a week.
Engineering plans are also underway to get bridges and highways re-opened as soon as possible.
Scott said there have been no fuel shortages or outages, yet.
President Donald Trump has offered federal resources to prepare for the storm, the governor said.
Michael will be the fourth storm rated Category 3 or higher to hit the Florida Panhandle since 1950. There are more 3.7 million people under a hurricane warning in Florida.
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