Community Corner

TECO Updates Number of Customers Without Power

Tampa Electric's online outage map updates customers on where outages are and when power is expected to be restored.

Tampa Electric reported this morning, April 1, that some 20,000 customers still were without service thanks to the massive storms that tore through the Greater Brandon area during the last day of March.

To track for yourself areas with and without power, TECO  posts an online outage map that as of 12:45 p.m. showed only two areas in the Greater Brandon area with “medium outage” (51 to 200 customers) and all others with either “small” or “very small” outages, 11 to 50 and 1 to 10 customers, respectively.

The map also reports for each area when power is expected to be restored.

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

Overall, outages from the storms were widespread in TECO’s service area, which includes all of Hillsborough County and parts of Pasco, Polk and Pinellas counties. At the worst of it, TECO reported there were some 87,000 customers without service.

As of today, “Tampa Electric has approximately 600 team members and 80 contractors working diligently to restore power as quickly and safely as possible,” the latest company report noted. “In areas impacted, the severe weather caused significant damage, including trees and limbs down and extensive wires down in numerous locations."

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

TECO reported that it expected to have full restoration of service to all customers by midnight tonight.

The company noted, too that:

  • Customers might see tree-trimmers first, then the repair crews, because “clearing debris and trimming trees is the critical step to helping our crews restore power to customers.”
  • It’s possible that one section of a residential subdivision will have power restored before another section, thanks to the configuration of the power system. Still, “all residential areas are considered equally important."

To report a power outage or electrical emergency, including a downed power line, call: 1-877-588-1010.

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