Utility crews who worked around the clock after Hurricane Helene passed through Marion County on Thursday night have successfully restored power to over 40,000 individuals as of 8 a.m. on Sunday.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Ocala-News.com reported that over 40,000 customers has lost power. On Saturday morning, that number had been reduced to just over 10,000.
According to outage maps from the major utility companies, as of 8 a.m. on Sunday, around 2,500 customers are still without power.
That includes over 2,300 customers of Clay Electric, which serves 16,870 customers in Marion County.
Many of the power outages were caused by trees that were downed on power lines due to the strong winds that Hurricane Helene brought through the area.
On Friday, the Marion County Office of the County Engineer reported that it had received more than 500 calls reporting trees downed in roadways and right-of-ways throughout the area.
In the days since the hurricane, dozens of readers have shared photos showing the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, which reached maximum sustained winds of over 140 mph at its peak.
According to officials, since the county wasn’t classified as a disaster area by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, there will be no debris pickups for residents.
Anyone with debris may drop it off at the county’s Baseline Transfer Facility or any of its local recycling centers.