At Tampa Electric, our comprehensive, year-round storm plan forms a cornerstone of our commitment to customers. Companywide response drills, enhancements to customer service and upgrades to our equipment are all part of our preparation for hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. Our preparedness effort includes the 10-point storm hardening project developed by Florida’s investor-owned electric utilities in conjunction with the Florida Public Service Commission.
Should severe weather result in the temporary loss of electricity, our plan helps us restore power as safely and quickly as possible. When conditions are safe for our crews to work, our restoration effort begins with facilities critical to public health and safety. This is followed by work prioritized to restore power to the most customers in the least amount of time. If we are faced with a widespread outage and require additional help, Tampa Electric’s membership in the Southeastern Electric Exchange provides support from other utilities. In turn, we will send crews to help restore power for other communities in need.
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. The system can recognize your phone number when you call, matching it to your address to help us locate outages quickly. To best utilize the system, we ask that you update your primary and alternate telephone numbers using our easy forms for residential or business customers. If you do not have your phone number updated in our system when you call, you will need to enter your Tampa Electric account number. With our new Mutual Assistance Routing System, customer service representatives from other utilities can answer your calls in the event our call center must evacuate. Read our news release to learn more.
Download and print this handy Tampa Electric outage number reminder card in English or Spanish and keep it in a convenient location.
As we make safety our top priority, we ask that you do the same. This means planning for severe weather as soon as possible. We advise our customers to have a personal storm plan in place and to follow these electrical safety guidelines:
For additional safety guidance, visit our Storm Safety page.
As a Tree Line USA® utility, Tampa Electric balances its commitment to reliable service with the health of trees we must trim near power lines. As part of our 10-point storm hardening plan, we proactively trim trees that may cause outages by coming into contact with power lines. Only qualified contractors should trim trees around power lines. If you see a tree growing into a power line, contact us with this online form. Find out about how to plant the right tree in the right place with our tree planting & safety guide.
