Community Corner

Storms Continue, Outages Widespread, Closings Reported, Tips Offered

March 31 ends the way it began with storms causing hazardous conditions and power outages throughout the Greater Brandon area and beyond. TECO reports at 6 p.m. some 64,000 customers without power.

Tampa Electric continues to work on downed power lines and power outages as the Hillsborough County School District and others report on night closings as the March 31 storms continue to wreak havoc in Greater Brandon and beyond.

The Tampa Electric Co. (TECO) posts an online outage map that on stormy days is especially useful. As of 6 p.m., some 64,000 customers were without electric service, according to a TECO update. The report noted that power outages were “widespread throughout our service area, which includes all of Hillsborough County and parts of Polk, Pasco and Pinellas counties."

The Hillsborough County School District reports that all night activities have been canceled due to the inclement weather. Included are all athletic events, including indoor events; evening meetings and training; night school; and any other activities on school district sites. Activities at charter schools under district oversight are at the discretion of each charter school’s administration.

Find out what's happening in Brandonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hillsborough Community College is already closed, for Spring Break, through April 3.

The opening for St. Stephen Catholic School’s 10th Annual Spring Jubilee, scheduled for today, has been delayed to April 1 at 4 p.m. The Spring Jubilee runs through April 3 on the Riverview grounds of St. Stephen Catholic School, 10424 St. Stephen Circle, off Boyette Road.

Find out what's happening in Brandonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Hillsborough County emergency officials have been warning residents all day to stay indoors, if possible. 

(Brandon Patch will post soon a report on the damage of a home in Greater Brandon/Riverview, where a suspected tornado uprooted three trees, including a grand, 30-year-old oak.)

For those who must travel, follow guidelines were offered:

  • Stay away from downed powerlines, leaning trees and hanging branches.
  • Don’t drive through pooled water.
  • Treat traffic signals that aren’t working as “all-way” or four-way stops. According to the American Automobile Association, the rules are the same as at a two-way stop: come to a complete stop, look for oncoming traffic and proceed when safe to do so. Should two drivers arrive at the same tim, the driver to the right has the right of way.

The correct number to call in Hillsborough County for nonemergencies is 813-272-6900. In case of dire emergencies, call 911.

TECO offered the following advice as well:

  • Stay away from downed power lines. These lines may still be energized. If so, they are dangerous. Downed lines do not have to pop and snap to be energized. All persons should avoid any contact with any downed line or any object, such as a tree branch, fence, vehicle or even water that has come in contact with a downed power line. It is safest to assume any downed power line is energized.
  • Use portable generators safely. Do not connect a portable generator to home circuits. Plug appliances directly to the generator. Connecting a generator to home circuits may cause power to flow to outside lines, posing life-threatening danger to restoration crews. Also, portable generators must not be taken into a residence or any enclosed space where deadly carbon monoxide gasses could build up. There are also other devices, such as invertors, that can provide some emergency backup power for small appliances through an automobile engine. (Note: this should not be done in a closed garage.)
  • Obtain a telephone that plugs directly into the wall jack. Portable household telephones won't work without electricity and area cell phone systems could be disrupted. In the event of an outage, prepare the home for power restoration.
  • Customers should make sure their homes are ready to safely receive electricity once power has been restored. Make sure there are no flammable items on the stove, no irons left on or other potentially dangerous situations. Turn off as many appliances as possible that require electricity and turn them on one by one after power is restored. This causes less stress to the power system and ensures that all customers get restored without unnecessary delays. Customers may want to leave their front porch light on to let you know when power is restored. When in doubt, or when leaving the home for an extended period, customers should switch off their power at the main breaker.

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