Over 135,000 still without power in Florida a week after Ian

FLORIDA – Over 135,000 homes and businesses still lacked power in Florida on Friday, eight days after Hurricane Ian crashed across the state.

US President Joe Biden met with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis this week to assess the devastation from Hurricane Ian, and stressed the need for a united federal and state effort for the lengthy recovery ahead.

Utilities have restored service to most customers after Ian knocked out power to more than 4 million in Florida and over 1.1 million in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Florida Power & Light Co (FPL) said it expects restoration to be essentially complete by Friday night, Reuters reported.

But FPL noted that thousands of homes and businesses in southwest Florida, where the storm hit with 150 mile (241 kilometre) per hour winds on Sept. 28, were so badly damaged that they may not be able to safely receive electrical service.