NOKOMIS, Fla. — One week after Hurricane Ian devastated parts of Florida and knocked out power to more than 2 million residents, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday just 1.8% of the state's population remains in the dark.
Speaking at Pelican Alley Restaurant in Nokomis, Sarasota County, DeSantis said roughly 200,000 residents are powerless statewide.
However, coastal communities like Fort Myers Beach will likely require complete infrastructure rebuilds after sustaining widespread damage during the Category 4 storm.
"You had a really significant downing of power lines," DeSantis said.
WATCH: Gov. DeSantis gives update on Hurricane Ian recovery efforts
RELATED: 'It's not good,' electric company worker says of Southwest Florida power outages
The governor said much of the success in getting power restored so quickly had to do with pre-planning and stationing 42,000 utility workers — many from out of state — throughout Florida before Hurricane Ian made landfall on Oct. 28.
"They've gotten most of what they can get done, almost all what they can get done," DeSantis said.
According to the governor, there have been about 2,500 rescue missions since the storm hit, mainly on barrier islands throughout the state.
