Electrical Industry in Florida Panhandle Begin Recovery from Hurricane Michael

Residents and businesses in areas hit by Hurricane Michael along the Gulf Coast were beginning to return to their homes and survey the damage this week. Electrical distributors who serve the utilities in the area have long memories of dealing with the destruction and disruption of major storms. This one, however, was particularly intense and the rebuilding process will be a long haul.

The storm strengthened quickly just before it reached land near Mexico Beach in the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10 and moved ashore as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph sustained winds — just below Category 5. As of Oct. 18, the storm’s death toll in the United States stood at 34. Risk modeling firms estimate damage from wind and storm surge in a range of $6 billion to $10 billion. The towns of Mexico Beach and Panama City suffered the worst of the damage from wind and storm surge but strong winds continued to cause major power outages as the storm tracked across the region through Georgia and the Carolinas.

Rusty Batch, CEO of Tri-State Utility Products, Marietta, GA, said it’s hard to describe how much greater the destruction is from such an intense storm.

“We have worked, over the years, many Category 1, 2 and 3 hurricanes but a 4 or 5, that’s a whole different animal,” Batch said. “It left widespread destruction in its path. As it hit that area between Panama City and Mexico Beach, it destroyed all the coast there, but as it came through, it was still a Category 4 clear up into southwest Georgia.”