Some Still Without Power After Storms

As of 11:30 a.m. today, about 20,000 Tampa Electric customers are still without power following Thursday's storm.

In Central Tampa, there were about 132 customers still without power, according to the company's online power outage map.

The peak number of outages related to the severe weather was about 87,000 customers, company spokesman Rick Morera said in a news release.

The storm's effect on elecric service was widespread throughout the company's service area, which includes all of Hillsborough County and parts of Polk, Pasco and Pinellas counties. Tampa Electric has approximately 600 team members and 80 contractors working to restore power.

"The severe weather caused significant damage, including trees and limbs down and extensive wires down in numerous locations," Morera said.  "We anticipate that restoration efforts associated with this storm will be essentially completed by midnight tonight."

Customers may see tree trimmers in their neighborhood before crews to repair the lines. Clearing debris and trimming trees is the first critical step to helping crews restore power to customers, Morera said.

To report a power outage or electrical emergency, such as a downed power line, call Tampa Electric's dedicated toll-free automated system at 1-877-588-1010.

Due to the configuration of the power system, part of a residential subdivision could have its power restored while another part is still without power.

For additional outage updates and information about Tampa Electric's storm plans, visit www.tampaelectric.com, then the "Weather Watch" section that also includes current weather information.