Saturday dawned with 21,483 Lakeland Electric customers still without power, down from around 85,000 after Hurricane Milton rampaged through Polk County early Thursday. This represents 15.5% of the utility’s 138,644 customers.
“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,” city spokesman Kevin Cook said. Power restration is expected by Friday “to all customers able to safely receive power,” according to the utility.
By noon, the number without power was down to 20,565.
It is still unknown whether Polk public schools will reopen Monday. A decision will come during the weekend, maybe as late as Sunday, the school district said on its website. Check here for updates.
Here are updates on storm recovery efforts and storm-related news for Lakeland on Saturday. We will update throughout the day:
Gasoline: The state of Florida announced today it is providing up to 10 gallons of gasoline for free at three sites in the Tampa Bay region. The closest to Lakeland is at the Plant City Stadium, 1810 S Park Road. It will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Anybody who has been looking for gas knows it’s been hard to find and lines have been long where it’s available. The city of Lakeland reports that “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.”
Water and food distribution is provided by Polk County Emergency Services “to help residents who were left without resources due to Hurricane Milton.” Several locations are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily while supplies last:
- Lakeland – Walker Road Park – 1285 Walker Road
- Lakeland – Gator Creek Preserve – 9725 US Hwy 98 N
- Mulberry – Civic Center – 901 NE Fifth St.
Water and food are being distributed today at FAM Church, 1400 Canal St., Mulberry, ourtesy of United Way of Central Florida, The Freedom Tour, FAM Church and Bartow Church Service Center.
One More Child will distribute non-perishable food items, water, diapers, wipes and more Sunday 3 to 6 p.m. at its Joe K. Blanton Campus, 1015 Sikes Blvd.
Cell phone service: Verizon says cell towers are starting to come back online so coverage should start getting better for Verizon customers. No word from other providers.
Debris drop off: The Polk County North Central Transfer Station at 3131 K-Ville Ave. in Auburndale is accepting hurricane-related debris at no cost during its regular hours: Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday: 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
A county site in Lakeland is accepting vegetative debris only starting Sunday. The site at 5901 Strickland Ave. near Highland City will be open Monday through Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m
FEMA Assistance: The Federal Emergency Management Agency is offering assistance to cover food, water, medicine and other essentials to people with critical needs. Learn more and apply online or at 800-621-3362.
Transit: Citrus Connection service, including The Squeeze, has been suspended for Saturday. It is expected to resume Monday. The reason: non-operating traffic signals and flooding.
RELATED
Parks: City of Lakeland parks and public facilities are beginning to reopen today, including both libraries, Kelly Recreation Center, Beerman Tennis Complex, Handley Park and Woodlake Park. Check for updates. Bonnet Springs Park and the Florida Children’s Museum remain closed until further notice as repairs to the park are being made.
Colleges: Polk State College reopens Monday. Florida Southern College’s campus is scheduled to reopen Monday at 8 a.m., though dorms will not be open yet because of widespread power outages, flooding and downed trees. Southeastern University classes resume Monday. Florida Polytechnic University is expected to provide an update Saturday evening.
Publix: Most Lakeland stores are open normal hours. The following stores are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Southgate, Town and Country Square, Plantation Square, Lake Gibson, Kathleen, Imperial Lakes.
Boil water notices affect Angelina Lane, Rolling Woods Lane, Emerald Terrace, Lake Point Drive, Elon Crest Drive, Williamstown Boulevard, Hollingsworth Hills Avenue, Condor Drive, Swallow Drive, Monterey Lane, 7th Court, West 7th Street, North Brunell Parkway, Garden Drive, Dogwood Lane, Penny Lane, North Socrum Loop. Check lakelandgov.net/boilwaternotices for updates.
Flooding
With 12 to 16 inches of rainfall connected with the storm, extensive flooding was reported in rural northwest Lakeland; the Polk County Sheriff’s Office performing at least 25 rescues by boat, according to Fox 13 News.
“It is normally a low-lying area, but never have we seen anything like this as long as I’ve been with the sheriff’s office, Sheriff Grady Judd told ABC Action News; he has been with the agency more than 50 years. “People that we talked to in the community have never seen it like this … There are complete lakes where there used to be cow pastures.”
Flooding of Itchepackesassa Creek near Swindell Road, residents told The Ledger, was the worst they had seen, including during Hurricane Irma in 2017. Several neighborhoods and roads, including Pineville Lane, remained under water Friday. Floodwaters caused some shallow-rooted trees to tumble.
Storm-related death: An 83-year-old Lakeland man with late-stage Alzheimer’s died after wandering away, the Sheriff’s office reports. Marco Grillo had been sleeping in a van in his Alderman Road neighborhood because their home had been flooded, his wife told deputies.
His body was spotted Friday morning by a sheriff’s department air unit floating beneath flood waters behind their home and deputies in an airboat retrieved him, according to PCSO. An autopsy is pending.
Polk situation update: Polk County Emergency Services plans to hold a video update at 4:30 p.m. today. It can be viewed online on Facebook, YouTube and PGTV.
Deen Still Road will be closed between SR 33 and Moore Roaduntil further notice because of flooding. Traffic will detour on Old Polk City Road.
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