Hurricane Idalia: Duke Energy crews in Sumter County ready to respond to power outages

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. — Thousands of Duke Energy workers are at the ready in Florida to respond after Hurricane Idalia hits.

Sumterville in Sumter County is one of the places the company is stage workers to respond to outages following the storm.

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Thousands of Duke Energy trucks are staged in Sumterville checked, preepped and ready to roll out at a moment’s notice.

“We prepare for storms like this 365, but when storms like this come up we mobilize pretty quickly,” said Ben Williamson with Duke Energy.

LIVE UPDATES: Floridians make final preparations as Hurricane Idalia closes in on state

Duke Energy will have 4,500 crew members across the state geared up ready to respond to hard-hit areas.

“It’s pretty incredible that when you see the amount of trucks and resources here,” Williamson said. “We ask people to just be patient.”

Watch: NASA provides live look of Hurricane Idalia from International Space Center

Officials said the crews will move in 16-hour shifts and they’ll be here for the next two weeks. If they’re needed longer another crew will come in and replace them.

WATCH: Hurricane Idalia: Here's what you can expect overnight Tom Terry and George Waldenberger break down what you can expect overnight when Hurricane Idalia is expected to hit. (WFTV)

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