How Florida is working to improve infrastructure ahead of hurricane season

New, more resilient power poles could make a big difference when tropical weather strikes in the future.

Transcript

00:00From Debbie to Helene and then Hurricane Milton, Florida took three direct hits from hurricanes

00:07last year. During the worst of it, Hurricane Milton knocked out power to nearly three and

00:13a half million homes and businesses. So sustainable power is a real issue in this

00:19weather-driven state. Florida power companies are working year-round to strengthen their grids to

00:24reduce power outages. But aging or storm-damaged power poles are common statewide, and a hurricane's

00:32powerful winds can easily snap wooden power poles. Hurricanes and storms do cause a lot of wear and

00:39tear on our system and our poles. After Hurricane Ian, that storm that happened in 2022, we did

00:45replace the majority of our system, making sure our system is strong for any potential hurricanes

00:52or storms that come into our area. Lee County Electric is replacing more than 1,600 poles

00:58this year alone, with stronger, more resilient poles made from steel or concrete, improving

01:04power grid reliability. Now, these old poles in the state of Florida average between 40 and

01:1060 years old. Some of them are 80 years or older, so there's a critical need to replace them.

01:16Unfortunately, most of them wind up in landfills unless they can safely be recycled and used

01:22down the road. This new hurricane season could bring back bad memories for many Floridians.

01:28I do think a lot of people in our area are worried about hurricanes coming and the potential of

01:34power outages and damage to their homes. I think each year that the hurricane season comes around,

01:41people are a little worried about that now. For AccuWeather, I'm Leslie Hudson reporting.