Why is the power flickering? FPL explains Collier Hurricane Milton outages

Hurricane Milton passed over Southwest Florida five days ago, knocking out power to millions of people in the state and beyond.

Florida Electric & Light and Lee County Electric Cooperative have been working around the clock to restore electricity to towns, and as of October 13, FPL had restored service to more than 90% of customers.

However, power variations are occurring at traffic signal intersections throughout Collier County, and some communities that previously had power restored are now without it, according to a recent article by Kendall Little of Naples Daily News.

Here is the most recent news from FPL regarding power discrepancies and when they will be resolved.

Why isn’t Collier County getting full power back?
The Naples Daily News contacted FPL to find out why there are still power outages five days after the hurricane. Here are a few reasons why FPL claims the public is seeing power flickers:

• Salt spray or storm surge on unwashed power equipment.
• Storm-damaged trees and branches have fallen on power lines and electrical infrastructure.
• Wind gusts loosened electrical connections.

Here’s the complete statement from FPL spokesperson Mike Mazur:

“Hurricanes can have long-term consequences that aren’t usually obvious. For instance, the storm has damaged a lot of trees and branches that could fall onto power lines and electrical equipment in the upcoming weeks and months, causing momentary flickers or completely cutting off power.”

In addition, salt spray or storm surge in coastal areas may degrade some electrical connections.

Significant wind gusts during the hurricane may have dislodged some electrical connections, resulting in more outages and flickers days and weeks afterward.

Rest assured, as we suffer outages following the storm, we will work safely and rapidly to restore service and remedy any issues detected.”

When will all power be restored to Collier County?
County Commissioner Chris Hall sent an email to citizens today, Oct. 14, providing a few updates on FPL power restoration.

“We wish we were electricity grid managers, but we are not. “We, too, are subject to FPL operations and communications,” Hall stated in the digital newsletter. “We outsource our electrical supply from Lee County and other areas which were affect by the hurricane much more than we were.”

Hall reminded citizens that the County Commission has no influence in how FPL runs its operations and communications.

FPL officials said more than 90% of their customers have had their power restored, and they hope to restore power to all schools by the end of the day today, Oct. 14.

Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing when full power will be restored. But FPL claims they are working as swiftly as possible.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News