After a massive restoration effort, most of Florida has power 10 days after Hurricane Irma knocked out electricity to nearly two-thirds of the state, mostly because of improvements made to the power grid since Hurricane Wilma 12 years ago. Utilities spent billions of dollars "hardening" the Florida power grid by replacing wooden poles for power lines with concrete or steel poles, elevating substations and taking other steps to prepare for hurricane-level winds and flooding. Those changes helped Florida's power grid withstand the destructive power of Hurricane Irma, utility experts said. Only 25 percent of Florida Power & Light's customers had their power restored within two days of that storm. Florida power companies may be victim of their own success in preparing for and responding to hurricanes, argued energy analyst Christi Tezak.

Source: ABC News September 20, 2017 17:56 UTC