LIVE OAK- More than 90 percent of Suwannee County was without power Monday morning following Hurricane Irma’s trek through the area.

According to Sheriff Sam St. John, 93 percent of the county had lost power although crews from Suwannee Valley Electric crews were out assessing the damage and beginning to restore power.

Total, 15,732 of SVEC’s members in Suwannee County were without power, or the 93 percent. 

That was a similar percentage in Hamilton County where 93.9 percent, or 3,554 of SVEC’s members were out of power.

It was worse in Lafayette County where 99.6 percent were without power or all but 14 of SVEC’s 3,143 members.

“We don’t know the full extent of the damage done to our system,” SVEC CEO Michael McWaters said in a release. “But our crews are already in the field assessing the situation.”

SVEC’s policy is to make repairs that will restore service to the most people in the least amount of time. Substations are repaired first, followed by distribution lines that feed large groups of people such as entire neighborhoods. Smaller tap lines and individual service lines are then repaired to restore power to members who may still be without electricity.

Forty-one of SVEC’s 43 feeder lines are out and six of the eight transmission lines operated by Duke Energy Florida and Florida Power and Light are out.

St. John said there were too many trees down across roads to mention, as well as power lines down.

St. John also encouraged residents to remain at home if not required to be on the roads with the tail end of the storm still expected to impact North Florida this afternoon.

The shelters remain open and will still be open Tuesday, according to St. John.

Schools will remain closed Tuesday.