Clay Electric is finalizing preparations for Hurricane Milton, which is on track to make landfall in or near the Tampa Bay area Wednesday night.

All offices will be closed to the public Thursday and Friday to concentrate on restoration.

Milton was downgraded from a Category-5 storm to Category 4 Tuesday morning, but will remain a dangerous threat to much of Florida. Tropical storm-force winds are expected across most of Clay’s service territory, with the east and southeast areas experiencing potential hurricane-force winds. Apart from winds, major rainfall is expected from this storm, as are a large number of power outages.

The co-op has secured a number of mutual aid crews from neighboring states and is prepared to respond to outages and restore power as quickly and safely as possible, as conditions allow.

Members who are dependent upon electric-powered life-support should make appropriate arrangements. Personnel will restore service as soon as possible, but the co-op cannot ensure any preferential treatment in this process.

All members should have a plan and a hurricane supply kit. Follow this link for more information.

For more updates on the storm and outages, follow Clay Electric Co-op on Facebook.