Hundreds of thousands of customers were without power Monday morning after Hurricane Debby made landfall at 7 a.m. The number is expected to increase as the hurricane crosses the state today.
Debby made landfall near Steinhatchee in Florida's Big Bend as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 80 mph.
To help you stay informed, bookmark this story to see the latest on power outages associated with Hurricane Debby across Florida.
➤ Track power outages across Florida
➤ Live updates: Follow coverage as Hurricane Debby nears Florida coast
Power outages across Florida
What Gov. Ron DeSantis said about restoring electricity to customers
"We have a lot of restoration personnel ready to go,"Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference in Tallahassee Monday.
DeSantis said the state's emergency department has identified up to 17,000 linemen who can assist with restoring power immediately after the storm and more are available if needed, but the governor did not expect power outages on the level the state has seen in previous storms.
"I think because this is a Category 1 with 80-mile-an-hour sustained winds, the total number of power outages are not going to reach the level that they did with Hurricane Idalia, certainly not the level that they did with Hurricane Ian back in 2022," he said.
"I know a lot of the utilities have already restored hundreds or thousands of folks starting yesterday," DeSantis said. "We also have Starlink internet ready to deploy if that is needed."
Crews will not be deployed until it is safe to do so,DeSantis said Sunday, and it is possible some residents may be without power for an extended time. Over half a million customers lost power in Florida whenHurricane Idalia followed a similar path last year.
Power out? Follow food safety guidelines
A refrigerator will keep food cold for four hours after the power goes out, according to FEMA, and a full freezer will hold its temperature for about 48 hours. Avoid opening the doors as much as possible to keep the cool air in.
"If you are in doubt, monitor temperatures with a thermometer and throw out food if the temperature is 40 degrees or higher,"FEMA said on its site.
- Eat your fresh, perishable foods first. Use coolers with ice, if available.
- Stock up on nonperishable food, at least a few day's worth, and water. Ideally, you should have at least two weeks' worth of food and water available.
- Generators, camp stoves or charcoal grills should always be used outdoors and at least 20 feet away from windows.
How to stay cool:How to keep cool in a Florida heat wave when the power goes out
When the power goes out, here's what to do
- Report it to your local power company.
- City of Tallahassee: call850-891-4968or 711 (TDD), report online atTalgov.com/Outagesor use theDigiTallymobile app
- Talquin Electric:Sign up here for text notification and outage reporting via text
- Duke Energy: Clickhereor call800-228-8485
- If you see downed or damaged power lines, call 911 to report it but stay at least 35 feet away from them and anything they are touching,
- Don't walk into flooded areas, there may be downed power lines you can't see.
- Don't use any electrical equipment or electronics that have been submerged. Have a qualified electrical inspector check the electrical system.
- For households with children, have some power-free activities ready to keep them (and yourself) occupied. Tell stories, play games, sing songs. The National Children Stress Networkhas some suggestions.
How to stay cool when your AC goes out
- Temporarily, hold on to your cool air. Keep windows and doors closed and close curtains, blinds and shutters to keep light and heat out of the house. Close off the hottest rooms in the house and stay on lower levels.
- When your home heats up, open doors and windows to create a cross breeze and keep airflow moving.
- Stay on the ground floor as much as possible.
- Roll up and remove area rugs on wood or tile floors.
- Wet your curtains, wring them out so they're damp, andopen the windows. The outside air will cool down as it passes through the damp fabric. You also can dampen a bedsheet or large bath towel and hang them in front of a window. Keep a spray bottle handy to spritz the cloth again if it dries out.
See the latest watches and warnings in effect across Florida
Weather watches and warnings are issued by the National Weather Service. The map automatically updates as conditions change.
➤ Follow the National Weather Service Tallahassee on Twitter
Radar for Leon County, including Tallahassee, Panama City
Rainfall expected? See the latest forecast for Tallahassee, Panama City
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