Pittsburgh-area power crews head south to help during Hurricane Milton aftermath

Hurricane Milton Weather Wind-driven rain soaks a street in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the passage of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

By Taylor Spirito

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Multiple power crews from the Pittsburgh area are heading south to help out during the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.

>> Channel 11 speaks to woman who left Florida just in time as Hurricane Milton approaches

The storm reached land at around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, leaving more than 3 million homes and businesses without power. It tore through Florida before hitting water again Thursday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.

As of Thursday morning, Pinellas County, where St. Petersburg is, has more than 386,000 outages; Hillsborough County, where Tampa is, has 512,000 outages; and Manatee County, where Bradenton is, has 85% of homes without power.

Fifteen Duquesne Light Crews head south to the Clearwater area from Pittsburgh Thursday. Wednesday, 65 crew members were already on their way and are now station in Davenport.

Hundreds of First Energy crews are going to Florida as well, including at least 18 line workers from West Penn Power.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW