TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Nearly 500,000 Tampa Bay area residents were without power Thursday night as Hurricane Helene passed through Florida's Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Helene has strengthened Category 4 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The NHC reported that Helene had maximum sustained winds of 140 and was located 115 miles south of Tallahassee while moving north-northeast at 23 mph.
The storm is expected to make landfall Thursday night in the Big Bend region.
Tampa Electric Company
As of 10:35 p.m., 90,789 customers have reported power outages.
Click to see TECO’s power outage map.
To report an outage to TECO, you can make a report on its website.
If you see a down power line or open transformer, call 813-223-0800 or 1-888-223-0800. You can also report gas leaks by calling 1-877-TECO-PGS (1-877-832-6747).
Peace River Electric
The following counties have reported outages:
- Hardee: 149 customers
- Hillsborough: 173 customers
- Manatee: 2,283 customers
- Polk: 129 customers
- Sarasota: 1 customer
You can report an outage online or call 800-282-3824.
Click here to view the outage map.
Florida Power and Light
The following counties have reported outages:
- Manatee: 40,070 customers
- Sarasota: 51,380 customers
To learn how to report an outage, you can visit the FPL website. You can also see the outage map here.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy anticipates restoring 95% of customer’s power in Pinellas and Pasco counties before midnight on Monday.
The following counties have reported outages:
- Citrus: 8,880 customers
- Hernando: 5,029 customers
- Pasco: 30,841 customers
- Pinellas: 211,257 customers
- Polk: 1,115 customers
You can report an outage on the Duke Energy website or by calling 800-228-8485. To see the outage map, click here.
Lakeland Electric
1,932 customers have been affected by outages in Lakeland.
You can report an outage on the Lakeland Electric website or by calling 863-834-4248. To see the outage map, click here.
Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative
The following counties have reported outages:
- Citrus: 9,831 customers
- Hernando: 10,457 customers
- Pasco: 22,553 customers
- Polk: 33 customers
Check WREC’s outage map here.
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