Hurricanes Helene and Milton Restoration Efforts

Hurricane Helene, a devastating Category 4 storm, made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region in late September 2024, leaving widespread destruction in its wake. The hurricane caused over 225 fatalities, billions of dollars in damage, and power outages for millions. Its intense winds and storm surges wreaked havoc across Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, with severe inland flooding compounding the devastation. As recovery efforts continued, the region faced the threat of Hurricane Milton.

Hurricane Milton struck Florida on October 9, 2024, as a Category 3 storm after weakening from a Category 5. The storm left over three million homes and businesses without power, brought ferocious winds, torrential rain, and tornadoes, and forced hundreds of thousands of coastal residents to evacuate. Milton’s impact came less than two weeks after Helene, a rare occurrence for a region that hadn’t experienced a direct hurricane strike in over a century.

In response to the devastation, Riggs Distler mobilized a team of more than 160 full-time employees who traveled south ahead of both storms. Partnering with major power providers, our teams worked tirelessly to repair damaged power networks and restore electricity for millions of customers from the Carolinas to Florida.