Tampa Electric is working around the clock to restore power for the thousands of customers affected by Hurricane Ian. We are making significant progress each day and expect to restore power to the vast majority of customers by Sunday night. Areas with more damage, such as Polk County and eastern Hillsborough County, should be restored by Monday night. Some customers with more complex damage may take longer to restore.
While we were certainly more fortunate than our neighbors to the south, Hurricane Ian affected our West Central Florida territory with Category 1 and tropical storm-force winds. The storm toppled trees and caused significant debris; eastern Hillsborough County and parts of Polk County were the hardest hit portions of Tampa Electric’s territory. In total, approximately 295,000 of Tampa Electric’s customers were impacted by the storm. By 2 p.m. today, power had been restored to more than 132,000 customers, or 45 percent of those affected.
Due to the magnitude of the storm and the repairs required, restoration will require thousands of individual repairs. To provide more context, much of the damage we sustained is to overhead power lines. While not catastrophic, repairing individual lines is a very time-consuming and complicated task. And once repaired, an individual line may mean power is only restored to a handful of people. We also saw damage to breakers due to debris, as well as damage to transformers. These complexities highlight the importance of our partner utilities, the thousands of crew members we’ve assembled from utilities as far away as Oklahoma, Texas and Indiana, who are assisting Tampa Electric crews. Crews are working continuously day and night, which will allow us to restore power in days rather than weeks. We won’t stop until we’ve restored every customer.
We appreciate your patience and assure you we’re working as quickly as we can, with the safety of our crews and customers top of mind. Remember to stay safe. Always assume that downed power lines are energized. Be sure to maintain a safe distance away and call us immediately at 813-223-0800 or 1-888-223-0800.
Power restoration process
Throughout the year, Tampa Electric prepares our delivery system and our people for hurricane season. Our teams have emergency response plans and mock drills year-round so we can be ready to provide the safest and fastest restoration possible to our customers when storms hit our area.
When it comes to restoration, all customers are important to Tampa Electric. When large areas lose power, we prioritize public health and safety facilities, then restore places necessary to provide essential supplies, like grocery stores. The next priority is restoring the greatest number of residential customers in the shortest amount of time. To learn more about our restoration process, click here.
Customer service for emergencies and outages
Our Customer Service has 24-hour coverage – and extra staff on hand – to take emergency and outage-related calls. We also have assistance from other utilities to take weather-related calls, if needed. If you have a non-storm-related issue, please contact us next week so we can prioritize those in need.
As we focus on helping customers recover from Hurricane Ian, we are temporarily suspending disconnections for nonpayment. For customers who may need additional help due to impacts from the storm, click here to learn how to apply for FEMA assistance after Hurricane Ian.
To report and monitor power outages:
- Log into your online account at tecoaccount.com to report the outage with one click.
- Visit our outage map at tampaelectric.com/outagemap to report and track outages.
- Text OUT to 27079. Text UPDATE or STATUS for updates on your reported outage.
- Call 877-588-1010, Tampa Electric’s dedicated toll-free automated power outage phone system.
- Go to tecoaccount.com/notifications and sign up for free outage notifications by text, email, or phone calls.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Nextdoor to stay informed about our restoration efforts.
Stay safe
- Always assume that downed power lines are energized. Be sure to maintain a safe distance away and call us immediately at (813) 223-0800 or 1-888-223-0800.
- Smell gas? Act fast. The odor of rotten eggs is an indicator that a natural gas line might be damaged. Immediately move to safety and call 911, then call Peoples Gas at 877-832-6747. Emergency calls are answered 24/7/365.
- Stay out of They can hide energized power lines and other hazards or put you at risk of drowning.
- Use portable generators safely.
- DO NOT connect a portable generator to home circuits and be sure to plug appliances directly into the generator. Connecting a generator to home circuits may cause power to flow to outside lines, posing life-threatening danger to our lineworkers. If you are unsure, please consult with a licensed electrician.
- Never allow a portable generator to get wet or operate in or near the rain, as generators are designed to produce powerful voltage. If moisture enters it, an electrocution or explosion may result.
- DO NOT take portable generators into a residence or any enclosed space (including closed garages) where deadly carbon monoxide gases could build up.
- Be cautious when outside as tree limbs may have become loose and could fall without warning.
Be scam smart
Scammers know we’re distracted by a hurricane. We’re seeing a concerning increase in emailed scam attempts to collect payment, using look-alike web addresses and websites. Scammers can easily create new domains and use other tactics, like spoofing our phone number and posing as one of our TECO team members. Learn more on how to stay scam-safe.
See streetlights on during the day?
Don’t be alarmed. We’ve turned on all streetlights 24/7 so we can visually inspect each light. We expect them to remain on through October 5. Customer bills will not be affected, and we ask that you please don’t report any streetlight issues while restoration is taking place.