20,000 Customers Still Without Power

If you're still without power after yesterday's storms, you're not alone.

Tampa Electric is reporting as of 11:30 a.m. approximately 20,000 customers are without electric service. The outages are widespread throughout the 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 diligently to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. In areas
impacted, the severe weather caused significant damage, including trees and
limbs down and extensive wires down in numerous locations.

TECO anticipates that restoration efforts associated with this storm will be
essentially completed by midnight tonight.

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.

As with all Tampa Electric activities, safety is always the company's No. 1 priority following a storm. Tampa Electric's second objective in the event
of widespread outages is to restore power to the largest number of customers
in the shortest possible time. Team members work to restore power to the
impacted areas as safely and quickly as possible.

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 our crews restore power to customers.

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. All residential areas are considered equally important, and Tampa
Electric works safely and quickly to restore service to everyone.

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.