Tuesday, September 12, 2017

15 million Floridians in the dark

Think about this for a moment: no lights, no air conditioning, no cold water, no potable water, no flush toilets likely too, no food (because food supplies cannot get there) and here are some of the daytime temperatures at 80% to90% humidity:

Del Rey Beach 90 degrees Fahrenheit

FLORIDA KEYS, FL - SEPTEMBER 11: Damaged houses are seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma on September 11, 2017 over the Florida Keys, Florida (Photo by Matt McClain -Pool/Getty Images)

It could be 10 days before power is fully restored for customers on the state's west coast

FLORIDA KEYS: New images of devastation

GOING HOME: Limited water, power, sewers, fuel, cell service

FOUND: NOAA helps Key West residents check their property

ANIMALS: How they stayed out of harm's way

UK, HELP US: Islander describes scary scenes

OPINION: Irma reminds Europe of its awkward colonial rule

25% of Florida Keys houses destroyed as 15 million Floridians have no power

By Holly Yan and Madison Park, CNN

Updated 4:35 PM ET, Tue September 12, 2017

Widespread destruction in the Florida Keys

Storm surge brings water back to Tampa Bay

Richard Branson films devastation to his private island

This image released by the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners shows debris along the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys, Fla., Monday, Sept. 11, 2017. Recovery along the island chain continues after Hurricane Irma made landfall on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane then. (Sammy Clark/Monroe County Board of County Commission via AP)

Hurricane Irma leaves trail of devastation

American ran through eye of Irma to survive

irma strong winds daytona sidner live_00001612

Sidner in Daytona: Winds are beyond ferocious

Reporter: It's like power-washing my face

satellite images before after irma sot_00002727.jpg

Satellite images reveal Irma's impact

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EAST NAPLES, FL - SEPTEMBER 11: The Sunrise Motel remains flooded after Hurricane Irma hit the area on September 11, 2017 in East Naples, Florida. Yesterday Hurricane Irma hit Florida's west coast leaving widespread damage and flooding. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

High winds create massive power outage

Storm surge brings water back to Tampa Bay

Richard Branson films devastation to his private island

Hurricane Irma leaves trail of devastation

American ran through eye of Irma to survive

Sidner in Daytona: Winds are beyond ferocious

Reporter: It's like power-washing my face

Satellite images reveal Irma's impact

Widespread destruction in the Florida Keys

Every hour, Hurricane Irma got visibly worse

NASA video shows 10 days of Irma in 30 seconds

First responders rush to answer 911 calls

See Hurricane Irma's wrath hit Florida

High winds create massive power outage

Storm surge brings water back to Tampa Bay

Story highlights

"A lot of people lost everything. There's homes blown off the stilts," resident says
Power back on for 330,000 businesses, organizations, homes in Broward County

(CNN)As some Florida Keys residents return to their devastated islands Tuesday, 15 million Floridians are learning when they'll finally get power back.

All customers who lost electricity on the eastern side of the state will likely have power restored by the end of this weekend, Florida Power & Light said Tuesday.

An FPL official told reporters at a Broward County news conference that of the 790,000 customers in that county who lost power, 330,000 had their electricity restored Tuesday.

The company is focusing its efforts first on schools, hospitals and other critical infrastructure. Gas stations and restaurants are next on the plan, the official said.

Customers on the west coast of Florida, where Hurricane Irma made its final landfall, will likely have power restored by September 22, the company has said.

It's a long wait for those sifting through what's left of their homes in the oppressive heat, bombarded by high humidity and relentless mosquitoes.

Cuomo: Nothing left untouched in the Keys 01:30

But residents like William Rose have bigger concerns. Rose still can't reach his family on the Florida Keys, where about a quarter of the islands' houses are annihilated.

NOAA helping Key West residents check on their property

He's not sure whether his mother, stepdad, grandmother and aunt survived Irma's wrath.

"I have no idea, but I'm trying to stay positive," Rose said.

In affected areas with a weak phone connection? Get the text-only version of top stories

Before the Keys lost cellphone service, Rose received a text from his mother, who chose not to evacuate.

"This is terrible. I will never do this again," the text read. "I'm so glad you got out."

Mass destruction in the Keys

Two days after Irma made landfall on Cudjoe Key, authorities and residents were finally able to reach some of the Florida Keys on Tuesday.

What they found was devastating: Based on initial estimates, 25% of the houses on the chain of islands have been destroyed, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Tuesday. Another 65% suffered major damage.

"Basically, every house in the Keys was impacted some way," FEMA Administrator Brock Long said.

It's still not clear how many casualties Irma caused on the Keys. Transportation officials are trying to determine whether bridges between the islands can withstand any weight.

Widespread destruction in the Florida Keys 01:19

The Florida Department of Transportation is repairing two sections of road that were washed away by Irma -- one at mile marker 37 and the other at mile marker 75 -- but believe they will finish later Tuesday.

Darwin Tabacco, who stayed on Big Pine Key during Irma, is one of the fortunate residents. Both he and his house survived.

"A lot of people lost everything," he said Tuesday morning. "There's homes blown off the stilts. There's power lines down all over the place. Trees completely uprooted. People's businesses flooded. Septic fields flooding. It's just terrible."

15 million people without power -- just in Florida

Massive power outages are crippling much of the Southeast on Tuesday. Among the hardest hit by Irma:

Florida: About 15 million people are without power across the state, Christopher Krebs of the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.
Georgia: More than 1.3 million customers -- which includes households and businesses -- are in the dark, according to Georgia Power and Georgia EMC.
South Carolina: 161,000 customers lost power, according to Duke Energy and SCE&G.

North Carolina: More than 62,000 customers don't have electricity, according to Duke Energy.

Alabama: More than 20,000 customers lost electricity, Alabama Power said Tuesday.

9 states impacted

Irma, which stretched 650 miles from east to west, has pummeled at least nine states -- deluging city streets, uprooting trees and destroying homes along the way.

At least eight storm-related deaths have already been reported, according to local officials:

Florida had three deaths. A 51-year-old man was electrocuted by a downed power line in Winter Park. A driver died in a crash on State Road 417. And another person died in Miami-Dade County from carbon monoxide poisoning after using a generator indoors.

Georgia had three deaths. A 62-year-old man who was on his roof was killed in Worth County, which experienced wind gusts of 69 mph. Another man was killed in Sandy Springs when a tree fell on his house. And a woman was killed when a tree struck her vehicle in Cumming.

South Carolina had two deaths. A 57-year-old man was struck by a falling tree limb during the storm. State emergency officials said a driver with a Florida license plate also died from the storm, but did not give further details.