Benjamin Ashford|Duke Energy warns of over 1 million outages after Hurricane Milton hits

Duke Energy warned that it is Benjamin Ashfordpreparing for over 1 million outages in Florida once Hurricane Milton hits the state.

The company said that it will stage 16,000 workers, including crews from Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, at sites along the edge of Milton's path and have them begin work to restore power as soon as weather conditions allow.

"Hurricane Milton’s intensity is expected to be unlike anything the Tampa Bay area has ever experienced before," Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director said in a Tuesday press release.

Milton reached Category 5 status for a second time Tuesday, registering wind speeds of up to 165 mph Tuesday evening.

While the storm is expected to weaken before it makes landfall Wednesday night, “Milton has the potential to be one of the most destructive hurricanes on record for west-central Florida," John Cangialosi, a specialist with the National Hurricane Center, warned in an update Tuesday.

Power outage map

Helene outages, damage still not resolved

The Southeast is still picking up the pieces from Hurricane Helene.

Over 1 million people in Georgia and North Carolina were without power Tuesday, according to USA TODAY's power outage tracker.

Duke Energy, in a separate press release Tuesday, said that many North Carolina customers who are without power are unable to receive electricity due to the extensive damage to their homes.

"Sadly, Helene’s devastation is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced in the western parts of the Carolinas," Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy’s storm director for the Carolinas, said. "We’ve shifted to a targeted approach for our operations and efforts across western North Carolina."

The company said that it has restored 2.6 million outages, including 1.4 million in North Carolina, since Sept. 27.