In a recent government meeting, officials provided an update on the power restoration efforts following widespread outages across Volusia County. At the peak of the outages, over 234,000 individual locations were reported without power due to the impact of a recent storm. However, utility companies, including Duke Energy and Florida Power & Light (FPL), have made significant progress, achieving a restoration benchmark of 95%. Current reports indicate that power levels are now comparable to an average day in the county.

Officials praised the efforts of all four power utility companies for their swift response and effective restoration work. However, they also addressed safety concerns related to power restoration. Chief King highlighted incidents where homes caught fire after power was restored, particularly in cases where residents were not present. To mitigate these risks, residents were advised to turn off their main power breakers before evacuating, ensuring that appliances and devices do not pose a fire hazard when electricity is restored.

As the water levels begin to recede and power is restored, residents are encouraged to check their homes for any potential hazards and salvage any perishable food items. The meeting underscored the importance of preparedness and safety in the aftermath of such storms, emphasizing community resilience and proactive measures to prevent further incidents.