As thousands of utility workers tackle the damage left by Hurricane Milton, electric companies have released estimates for when power will be restored in Tampa Bay.
Tampa Electric Co. said Saturday that it aims to restore power for “essentially all” customers in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties by Thursday. But many would see power before then. In both counties, 55% of customers should have power by Sunday and 75% by Tuesday.
Customers in Pasco County should expect all power restored by Monday and Polk County should see the same by Tuesday.
Duke Energy estimated that a majority of customers in Pasco and Pinellas counties would have power restored by Tuesday. The company said that Brevard, Citrus, Hernando, Highlands, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties should have power Monday. On Friday, the company said it had restored service to 350,000 customers while over 850,000 were still without power.
As of Friday night, Tampa Electric Co. had restored power to more than half of the nearly 600,000 customers who lost it during Hurricane Milton, which the news release said was “unprecedented for the region.”
The outages were mainly caused by uprooted trees and other storm debris that knocked down overhead power lines and poles, the news release said. Flooding of electrical infrastructure and debris on transmission lines also contributed to the outages.
Because the ground was already saturated from Hurricane Helene, the region saw increased flooding and more trees were at risk from Hurricane Milton’s winds, the company said.
After the storm passed, the company’s first priority was to restore electricity to essential services: hospitals, airports and police stations. Assisted living facilities and nursing homes were also a top priority.
“We wish to assure customers that their power will be restored within a week, if not much sooner, following this historic hurricane,” said Archie Collins, president and chief executive officer of Tampa Electric Co.
• • •
5 things to know about the 2024 hurricane season, according to forecasters.
Forecasters predict ‘extremely active’ 2024 hurricane season. Here’s why.
Could Tampa Bay flood insurance rise after a hurricane? A warning from Hurricane Ian
Want to know what areas are flooding in Tampa Bay? Here’s where to look.