Tampa Electric Prepares Year-Round for Hurricane Season

Business Wire,  May 30, 2008  

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Tampa Electric Is Ready to Deal with the Potential Impacts of Hurricanes and Widespread Power Outages

TAMPA, Fla. -- Hurricane season starts June 1, but Tampa Electric prepares year-round to deal with the potential impacts of hurricanes and widespread power outages. Tampa Electric's comprehensive storm plan is in place and ready to help restore power as safely and quickly as possible in the event of a storm. The company also recommends that customers have a severe weather plan in place for their home or business.

Hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30, is a particularly vulnerable time for the system of wires and equipment producing and delivering electricity to homes and businesses. Severe storms can damage Tampa Electric's energy production and delivery systems, and power outages are not uncommon during storm conditions.

Tampa Electric has taken actions to implement a 10-point storm hardening plan to "harden" its portion of the state's electric system against severe weather, including hurricanes. The company estimates that it will invest approximately $20 million on this 10-point plan annually, which includes infrastructure hardening, tree trimming and pole inspections.

As with all its activities, safety is Tampa Electric's number one 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 entire service area as safely and quickly as possible.

Tampa Electric's restoration priorities

Electric service is restored in priority order. Facilities identified by governmental agencies as "critical" to public health and safety, such as hospitals, disaster centers and main police and fire stations, come first. This way, these critical agencies can assist with other storm-related problems or injuries.

For the protection of public health, primary water and sewer installations are next, followed by all others, including communication service providers, schools, nursing homes, supermarkets, home improvement/building supply centers, insurance facilities and others.

Due to the configuration of the power system, part of a residential subdivision could have its power restored while another is still without power. All residential areas are considered equally important, and Tampa Electric works safely and quickly to restore service to everyone.

When a major storm's arrival is imminent, Tampa Electric coordinates with utilities and contractors across the nation to mobilize crews towards Florida. Tampa Electric's crews are placed on call so that they are available to repair any damage affecting Tampa Electric's lines and equipment, but only when they can do so safely.

Reporting emergency and non-emergency power outages

Residential and commercial customers can call Tampa Electric's dedicated toll-free automated power outage phone number at 877-588-1010 to report a power outage or electric emergency.

For all other inquiries, customers should use the following numbers:

813-223-0800 inside Hillsborough County

863-299-0800 in Polk County

888-223-0800 (toll-free) outside Hillsborough County or out of state

Updating customer contact information

When a customer calls to report an outage, Tampa Electric's automated phone system recognizes his or her phone number and/or account number and matches it to his or her address, helping the company locate outages quickly.

It is important that Tampa Electric has updated telephone numbers. This helps ensure that Tampa Electric's outage management system is up-to-date and ready to automatically generate a work order for repair crews if an outage occurs at that home or place of business.

The system groups outage calls by location, checks them against a detailed circuit model database and predicts where the problem is. Updated mobile computers in service trucks allow crews to access the expanded information and quickly respond to the outage. This is the fastest, most efficient way Tampa Electric can restore power.

To help prepare for restoration, Tampa Electric is asking customers who may have changed their home or business telephone numbers (the phone number where electric service is delivered) to inform the company of the change.

The quickest, easiest way to update a phone number is to go to tampaelectric.com and follow these instructions:

* Click on "Residential or Business"

* Click on "Customer Service"

* Under "Update Your Account"

* Click on "Update Your Telephone Number"

* Provide the customer's name, address, account number, the last four digits of his or her Social Security number and his or her e-mail address.

Electrical safety guidelines

Following a storm, Tampa Electric teams patrol the electric system to identify or pinpoint problems. Customers can enhance their safety and Tampa Electric's restoration efforts by observing the following guidelines: