As Hurricane Milton has left more than three million customers in Florida without power, I&M employees are traveling today to the hard-hit state.

I&M has 479 employees and contractors joining Hurricane Milton restoration efforts to help Tampa Electric and Florida Power and Light restore their customers. Our lineworkers, fleet technicians, tree trimming experts and safety support staff will work 16-hour days repairing and replacing power poles, power lines and if needed, rebuilding portions of the electrical system.

This is I&M's second hurricane response in recent weeks. More than 450 I&M employees and contractors assisted our AEP sister companies, Appalachian Power and Kentucky Power, restoring power to customers after remnants of Hurricane Helene caused widespread power outages. Those crews returned home Monday after 10 days. I&M has fresh crews heading to Florida and a full contingent of lineworkers, tree trimming crews and employees to respond if outages occur at home.

"The dedication to helping each other and our customers is a mainstay of our industry. Restoring power is often the first critical step in rebuilding and restoring normalcy in devastated communities." said Steve Baker, I&M President, and COO. "I'm always impressed with our employee's willingness to respond - often at a moment's notice - to help those at home and far away. Thank you and your families for your dedication to helping those who need it most."

I&M and our parent company, AEP, are part of a nationwide group of power companies that help each other when significant power outages occur.