EPIC failure by Tampa Bay area utility companies (power lines, neighborhood)

[sinatras]

While Florida Power and Light restores electricity to hundreds of thousands a day in South Florida, TECO and the rest of the pathetic power companies in Tampa Bay can't even get the local McDonalds or street lights going again, and it's Day Three. Sad! At this rate we will be without power for two weeks or more for what turned out to be a strong tropical storm in Hillsbo and Pinellas.

Did anyone see these Tampa Bay power companies deploying thousands of trucks in advance of the storm cutting branches and shoring up service lines? Yeah, me neither.

If there is ever a REAL hurricane here, making a direct hit, I won't even come back. I'll stay evacuated and
e-mail my Realtor. As the Wash Post so perfectly said: Tampa Bay is due for a major hurricane and is NOT prepared! SAD!

[kmarc]

I have TECO and never lost power during the entire storm.

[BucFan]

Same here. Wonder if having underground utility lines has anything to do with it? Will have to use this as a selling point if I ever sell.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by kmarc

I have TECO and never lost power during the entire storm.

That's great! Perhaps TECO is doing more maintenance in your neck of the woods than mine. Or in any of the other hundreds of thousands of TECO customers who lost power.

In the Westshore area of Tampa, not one TECO truck has been spotted.
Pre or post storm.

[hokiepoke]

We lost power for a day but it was restored yesterday thankfully. But the neighborhood to the east and west still don't have power. With all the big trees that came down taking lines out with it, I would expect a lot of work and some might take a while. Yesterday on the way back, I also several armada of electric utility trucks heading to Florida and all along US 19. Trucks with Alabama and Louisiana plates and also Florida plates from panhandle.
Help is coming. Got a message from Duke that indicate power should all be back by Friday tho that will be little consolation if you'd have to suffer in the heat. Prepared or not, this is also a jolt for everyone to be more prepared. I myself was complacent in trimming my own trees and need to also buy a power generator.

[BucFan]

For it is better to light the candle than to curse the darkness.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by hokiepoke

We lost power for a day but it was restored yesterday thankfully. But the neighborhood to the east and west still don't have power. With all the big trees that came down taking lines out with it, I would expect a lot of work and some might take a while. Yesterday on the way back, I also several armada of electric utility trucks heading to Florida and all along US 19. Trucks with Alabama and Louisiana plates and also Florida plates from panhandle.
Help is coming. Got a message from Duke that indicate power should all be back by Friday tho that will be little consolation if you'd have to suffer in the heat. Prepared or not, this is also a jolt for everyone to be more prepared. I myself was complacent in trimming my own trees and need to also buy a power generator.

I routinely have all of my trees serviced by a Certified Arborist every two years.
Clearly I have been spending thousands of dollars on nothing.
Because none of that trimming prevented my power loss.

There needs to be a serious effort to bury all power lines in this region.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by BucFan

For it is better to light the candle than to curse the darkness.

I will light a candle for Tampa bay. That it never gets hit by a real, major hurricane.

[sinatras]

Originally Posted by hokiepoke

We lost power for a day but it was restored yesterday thankfully. But the neighborhood to the east and west still don't have power. With all the big trees that came down taking lines out with it, I would expect a lot of work and some might take a while. Yesterday on the way back, I also several armada of electric utility trucks heading to Florida and all along US 19. Trucks with Alabama and Louisiana plates and also Florida plates from panhandle.
Help is coming. Got a message from Duke that indicate power should all be back by Friday tho that will be little consolation if you'd have to suffer in the heat. Prepared or not, this is also a jolt for everyone to be more prepared. I myself was complacent in trimming my own trees and need to also buy a power generator.

TECO is currently scrambling to find crews to come to Tampa. Why did they not contract with crews BEFORE THE STORM? Like FP&L and other power companies did? Total incompetence that we should not accept.

[BucFan]

People who are flexible with travel and could evac (me next time) should probably wait 2 weeks before heading back so all of this can be worked out...gas stations, traffic all clears up days afterwards as well as electricity.