Crews work to restore power in Sumter County

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Work crews are trying to restore utilities in Sumter County. Officials say it's going to take a while before everything gets back on line.

Bradley Arnold, Sumter County Administrator said as of this afternoon, nearly 25,000 people were still without power in the county.

“The big issue is power restoration,” Arnold said, “power restoration timing has an impact on people with special needs. They may have sheltered in place, but if they still don't have power, their concerns about oxygen, dialysis, and other medical needs may start increasing.”

Storm damage is everywhere. A huge tree crashed onto Joy Pendergraph's house.

“I was in the motion of sitting down when the tree fell, and I screamed and he came running in there, Nana are you okay? I'm standing there, shaking like crazy because it jarred, shifted the whole house,” Pendergraph recalled.

Pendergraph’s thankful her grandson was home when it happened. “I just thank god I wasn't in that bed and my grandson was here to make sure I was okay,” she said, “because he stayed with me through it all.”

With roads blocked and debris still a problem, officials say at least no one was killed. “Anytime you have a major event like a hurricane and no fatalities, that's a significant success,” Arnold said.

Officials said their primary concern right now was restoring power to everyone in the county. They said clearing away the debris and getting things truly back to normal may take more than a month.