Gulf Power Company Customers 95% restored in Caryville, Bonifay, Chipley, Graceville and Campbellton, 24 Hours Ahead of Schedule

Everybody complains about their power bill, especially in inordinately hot or cold weather, when we want to be comfortable but we forget that there is no such thing as a free lunch, and that comfort comes with a price tag.

However, when you no longer have the power bill to complain about, how does that affect your life?

Recently, the residents of Central Florida Panhandle have been able to answer that question for themselves, as Hurricane Michael slammed the Gulf Coast and electrical power was lost to almost all areas of this part of Northwest Florida, from Panama City Beach to Apalachicola, and from the Gulf of Mexico to Dothan, Alabama.

As many have seen, however, power crews from all around the country flooded into communities affected, including Washington County, Jackson County and Holmes County, Florida.

Tent cities sprang out of the ground overnight, as hundreds of trucks and pieces of equipment, accompanied by thousands of personnel, tackled the downed power poles, transformers and miles of power lines.

Gulf Power Company crews, alongside thousands of restoration crew members from 15 states, have now restored power to 95% of Gulf Power customers in Jackson and Holmes counties, ahead of estimated restoration times.

Crews are working around the clock and were able to energize more than 95% of customers north of Interstate 10 in Caryville, Bonifay, Chipley, Graceville and Campbellton, all restored 24 hours ahead of the original estimate.

‘Restoring power to these storm-devastated areas takes a massive coordinated effort.  The storm drills that are executed every year, along with the real-life experience through deploying to help others in times of need, have paid off in this extensive restoration effort’, said Adrianne Collins, vice president of Power Delivery.

‘Everyone involved in this restoration has been encouraged by the support they have felt from our customers, and the entire team is humbled to be part of the effort’.

As the saying goes, we are never satisfied, and it is just a matter of time before we start to complain about our power bills, along with all the other creature comforts that we cherish, cannot do without, but take for granted every day.

When you start to complain however, take deep breath, relax, and say a prayer of ‘thanks’ for our power company crews, who selflessly gave you the ability to once again complain about your power bill.

Thanks Gulf Power!

Estimated Restoration Times

• NEW – 95% RESTORED: Gulf Power customers in Jackson and Holmes counties in the following areas:

• Areas north of I-10 in Bonifay and Chipley, and all of Caryville, Graceville and Campbellton have been restored.

• 95% RESTORED: Customers who live in the Cypress and Apalachee areas with a mailing address of Sneads, Florida, served by Gulf Power have been restored.
• 95% RESTORED: Panama City Beach east of Highway 79 to the Hathaway Bridge has been restored.
• 95% RESTORED: Panama City Beach west of Highway 79 has been restored.
• Downtown Panama City, Callaway, Parker, Lynn Haven, Youngstown and surrounding areas are estimated to be restored by midnight, Oct. 24.

*The above estimated restoration times are for 95% of customers who can accept electric service. As work progresses, we will continue to update and adjust estimated restoration times for specific areas.

Current storm-related outage total as of 5 a.m. CDT