Rick DelaHaya with Gulf Power spoke about what crews are doing to restore power to the Panhandle area and what residents can do to help.
He says it will take some time to completely restore power to the Panhandle.
MORE: 'Prepare to be without power for weeks': Gulf Power gives estimated restoration times
DelaHaya says in the last 72 hours, Gulf Power has made significant progress, restoring power to about 5,000 customers on the beach.
He says crews are slowly working eastward.
"You can't go anywhere in this city without seeing a line of trucks, without seeing them stringing wires, without them putting poles in the ground," says DelaHaya "But it's going to take a while."
The extensive damage is evident, with thousands of snapped poles and lines on the roads.
"Usually in a storm, we tell people we're coming in to restore power," says DelaHaya. "This one? It's a rebuild."
Gulf Power has received assistance from about 15 to 20 different states, allowing them to have an estimated 6,000 personnel on the ground around the county.
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