MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Hurricane Idalia plunges Florida into darkness as Duke Energy promises to 'keep working until everyone is restored'

Duke Energy, which had over 67,000 customers without power, was the utility with the most outages

FLORIDA: Over 270,000 power outages were reported in Florida as of 2 pm ET on Wednesday, August 30 as Hurricane Idalia pounded the state, especially in the north, according to USA Today's power outage tracking database. 

Millions of people had fled or hunkered down in the Big Bend area of Florida in advance of a potentially disastrous tidal surge when Hurricane Idalia crashed into the area, but as it moved toward Georgia, the storm's strength diminished.

Where did Hurricane Idalia hit?

Idalia slammed at Keaton Beach in Florida's Big Bend shortly before 8 am ET, with the highest sustained winds of 125 mph. The storm flooded streets, shut down airports, called off flights, and triggered extensive disruptions to electricity, as per NBC News.

As of late Tuesday, there were orders for evacuations in 28 of Florida's 67 counties. Storm warnings or advisories are in effect for the majority of the state, as well as sections of Georgia and South Carolina, as per reports.

Has Hurricane Idalia made landfall in Georgia yet?

Idalia reportedly reached Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, which has five levels, early on Wednesday before making landfall, but by 7 am it had fallen to Category 3, according to the NHC.

Idalia was downgraded to a Category 1 storm when it approached southeast Georgia, with gusts dropping to 90 mph.

What category is Idalia?

Idalia, a devastating Category 3 hurricane, slammed Florida's Gulf Coast early on Wednesday. The Big Bend area, a nook between the panhandle and the peninsula, has not experienced a stronger storm landfall in a 5-hour period in 125 years, as per CNN.

Duke Energy's preparations for Hurricane Idalia

Duke Energy (DUK.N), which had over 67,000 customers without power, was the utility with the most outages, followed by Clay Electric Coop, which had over 29,000.

Crews from Duke Energy braced for Hurricane Idalia's repercussions. 

According to the corporation, line technicians, service teams, and other staff members are prepared to respond in the event of widespread disruptions.

Idalia's effects weren't predicted to hit the Carolinas until later in the day on Wednesday and into Thursday, but rain and storms have already created problems there this week.

Duke Energy Florida issued a statement via a press release, stating that it "aims to have 95% of impacted customers restored by Wednesday night – except for those in the hardest hit areas, including those who cannot receive power because of damage or flooding."

Georgia had more than 217,000 people without electricity as well. 

According to Tampa Electric, the majority of its 35,000 affected customers have had their power restored as of Wednesday.