On Saturday, after receiving a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center on current efforts to restore power in Southwest Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis called on the Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC) to accept additional mutual aid to expedite power restoration to the residents of Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Sanibel and Pine Island.
By Saturday, Florida Power and Light (FPL) has restored power to more than 45 percent of their accounts in Lee County, while LCEC has only restored power to 9 percent of their accounts (18,000 out of 183,000 customers). To assist in restoration efforts, the Florida Electrical Cooperatives Association has readied resources from its members around the state that are available to deploy on mutual aid.
Mutual aid would allow the LCEC to expedite power restoration, especially to Cape Coral and North Fort Myers as residents return to their homes and begin the road to recovery. Power restoration in these areas is also essential to resume the full use of essential services such as health care facilities, operation of schools and ensure access to running water.
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