BRADENTON -- Manatee County officials say the county is getting closer to recovery from Hurricane Ian.
The county administrator and local elected officials updated numbers in a Tuesday morning news conference. They say the number of FPL customers without power is down to 20 thousand, while the equivalent for the Peace River Electric Cooperative is around 700. Virtually the entire county should be back on the grid by Wednesday night, according to commissioner Reggie Bellamy. All lift stations are back online, meaning full sewer services.
Some roads are still closed: Parts of Wauchula Road, Clay Gully Road and Jim Davis Road, the latter of which should reopen soon. State Road 70 remains closed at the Manatee-DeSoto county line.
As far as yard waste removal, county administrator Scott Hopes says the first passes for debris should start Friday with three contractors. In the city of Bradenton, mayor Gene Brown says debris removal started today (Tuesday).
Manatee County is also allowing residents of DeSoto County to access its landfill.
In Myakka City, suffering from Myakka River flooding, volunteers are taking over the distribution of a wide range of supplies, from water to meals to bug spray. Commissioner George Kruse says losing power also means losing water in the mostly rural area, because most residents use pumps. Kruse says Myakka residents should be encouraged to take whatever they need.
Watch the news conference below.
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