Public Notice: City of Lakeland Hurricane Milton Update - October 12, 2024

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Gas is starting to be delivered from the Port of Tampa.  It is impossible to provide an ongoing list of stations that have gas, but the good news – gas is being delivered.

City crews cleared over 120 trees from right-of-way to get main traffic corridors cleared. There are some side streets that are still impacted, and crews will get to them.  Resources continue to assist line crews with tree debris.

At the peak Lakeland Electric had approximately 85,000 customers without power.  As of this morning that number is down to 21,000 without power. As restoration efforts progress, the outages are becoming increasingly challenging and time-consuming. Lakeland Electric is transitioning from repairing outages that restore power to thousands at a time to outages that restore power to hundreds at a time. It is estimated that power will be restored to all customers by Friday, October 18^th.  Those in the Combee Settlement, Polk City, Orangedale and Highland City that are not flooded should expect power to be restored on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

Please be patient because there are some areas where crews are trudging through water and climbing over tree debris to restore power. Customers currently experiencing flooding may expect their power to be restored toward the end of the estimated timeframe. While the entire electric system was affected by wind and flooding damage, crews continue restoring power across the entire service area, the west side of Lakeland appears to be the most heavily impacted.

Lakeland Electric has over 600 personnel helping restore power.  This includes more than 500 mutual aid personnel from Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida. 

The Lakeland Electric smart grid system automatically reports power outages, customers can view the outage map by visiting lakelandelectric.com/outagemap.  Please call Customer Service at 863-834-9535 to report electric emergencies and downed lines.  The customer service call center is open 24-hrs per day as restoration efforts continue.

There are some areas around Lakeland that were hit very hard with flooding.  The Lakeland area experienced over 12 inches of rain in 24 hours taxing the City’s stormwater system.  Water is starting to subside, but some ponding is still evident.  All area lakes are flooded, and it is very difficult to alleviate flood conditions and lower the lake levels.  Lakeland residents in flood prone areas where the water continues to rise; please get out if safety is a concern. In emergency situations call 911.

Residents, please avoid extensive use of water - only use toilets, laundry, and other water, as absolutely necessary.  All used water going down the drain impacts the wastewater process in moving water through the system. Be careful and when approaching standing water, try to avoid it all together because not all water is stormwater.

Please refrain from recreational contact in and around water bodies. Many of these systems have been adversely impacted by Hurricane Milton and are experiencing high water levels, potential contamination and submerged structures.  Please visit lakelandgov.net/hurricane for additional information regarding restoration and notices.

 

Hurricane Milton caused several water main breaks, and crews continue to work on the water system. There are several boil water notices in place.  Go to lakelandgov.net/boilwaternotices for the latest updates.  Customers on Angelina Lane, Rolling Woods Lane, Emerald Terrace, Lake Point Drive, Elon Crest Drive, Williamstown Boulevard, and Hollingsworth Hills Avenue, Condor Drive, Swallow Drive, Monterey Lane, 7^th Court, West 7^th Street, North Brunell Parkway, Garden Drive, Dogwood Lane, Penny Lane, North Socrum Loop are on a boil water notice.  Again, please go to lakelandgov.net/boilwaternotices for the latest updates.

Most of the traffic signals are back online but there are a few without power.  Please be cautious on the streets and treat signalized intersections like a four-way stop. 

Verizon has reported that they have recovered some of their cell towers so coverage should start getting better for Verizon customers.

Regular solid waste services will resume on Monday, October 14^th with normal scheduling.  Today, Solid Waste crews are clearing debris from the main roads. The City’s contract debris haulers have been mobilized and the City of Lakeland is getting debris sites ready.  These are FEMA contractors so we must adhere to the FEMA rules with debris.

• Place debris in piles that are no larger than 6 ft by 4 ft by 4 ft. 
• Keep debris away from trees, poles, structures, fire hydrants, and meters. 
• Do not block the roadway with debris
• Curbside Debris needs to be separated into these categories

• Construction debris includes building materials, drywall, carpet, furniture
• Vegetation debris including tree branches, leaves, logs, and plants
• Hazardous waste including oil, batteries, paint, cleaning supplies
• Large appliances including refrigerators, washer/dryers, dishwashers
• Electronics including televisions, computers, phones

There are several Departments working together to put the community back together with members from Lakeland Electric, Lakeland Police Department, Lakeland Fire Department Public Works, Water, Wastewater, Parks & Recreation and Community Development working long hours – Thank You!

Please be patient during restoration efforts, crews are working diligently to get power restored and life back to normal.  Be safe and help each other.  Lakeland is a much better community when we come together and please visit lakelandgov.net/hurricane for the latest information on restoration and notices regarding Hurricane Milton.

Be Patient, Practice Civility and be Safe!

 

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