DeFuniak Springs, FL (Oct. 11, 2026) — Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CHELCO) estimates that the majority of its system will be restored by the night of Tuesday, Oct. 13, following widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Isaias.

The Category 2 hurricane made landfall near Destin, Florida, the night of Friday, Oct. 9, before moving through CHELCO’s service territory in Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes and Santa Rosa counties. The storm’s extreme sustained winds and gusts caused widespread damage, including fallen trees, broken poles and damaged equipment. At the peak of the storm, approximately 71,000 of CHELCO’s 76,000 meters experienced power outages.

“Our team has made tremendous progress with damage assessments and power restoration, and we currently estimate that the majority of our members will have power restored by the night of Tuesday, Oct. 13,” said CHELCO CEO Steve Rhodes. “This is easily the largest storm response in CHELCO’s 86-year history, and we’re confident that our employees, mutual aid crews and contractors are equipped to meet the challenge.”

By Monday morning, more than 1,400 linemen, right-of-way technicians and support personnel are expected to be working across CHELCO’s service territory to restore power to remaining members.

“We are grateful for the mutual aid crews and contractors who have traveled from across the country to assist with our extensive restoration efforts. I’m also extremely proud of our CHELCO employees and their tremendous response,” Rhodes said. “Our team will continue working until all power is restored and will provide updates as more information becomes available.”

For the latest updates, follow @MyCHELCO on Facebook or visit CHELCO.com.

CHELCO is a not-for-profit electric cooperative serving more than 76,000 accounts in Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, and Santa Rosa counties, including on Eglin Air Force Base.