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