Hurricane Irma Aftermath In Tampa Bay: Latest On Power Outages, Debris Cleanup, And More

TAMPA, FL —Tampa Bay residents who suffered a power outage because of Hurricane Irma should have their electricity back by Sunday, if not sooner. TECO Energy reported that about 78,562 customers in Hillsborough County still had no power Thursday. Florida utilities were reporting that about 22 percent of homes and businesses across the state remain without electricity.

Workers have repaired the entire transmission system, which is the high-voltage network of lines that delivers electricity from the power plants, TECO officials said. TECO's outage map on its website shows that about 87 percent of its customers have power now.

About 2.3 million accounts in the state were experiencing a power outage as of about 3:30 p.m. Thursday according to the latest figures from floridadisaster.org. That's down from about 2.6 million accounts that had no power Thursday morning.

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Below is a county-by-county roundup of power outages in central Florida.

Hillsborough County: 12 percent remain without power.

• Five of Duke Energy's 25 customers (25 percent) were without power as of Thursday afternoon, down from 32 percent.
• Just 3 percent of cooperative customers (30 accounts) were without power as of Thursday morning, up from 2 percent Thursday morning.

Polk County: 21 percent remain without power.

• Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative said 536 of its 569 customers had no power as of Thursday afternoon (94 percent), no change from Thursday morning.
• Lakeland Electric said 11,837 customers (9 percent) had no power as of Thursday afternoon, down from 26 percent Wednesday night.
• Duke Energy said 17,952 of its 100,519 customers (18 percent) were experiencing a power outage as of Thursday morning, down from 28 percent.
• TECO Energy reported that 16,697 of its customers (20 percent) had no power as of Thursday afternoon, down from 21 percent.

Pinellas County: 21 percent remain without power.

• Duke Energy said 115,787 of its 540,933 customers (21 percent ) had no power as of Thursday afternoon, down from 34 percent.
• TECO reported that 847 of its 10,984 customers (8 percent) were without power as of Thursday afternoon, up from 7 percent.

Pasco County: 15 percent remain without power.

• Duke Energy said 27,792 of its 139,992 customers (20 percent) had no power as of Thursday afternoon, down from 32 percent.
• Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative reported that 8,310 of its 106,230 customers (8 percent) were without power as of Thursday morning, down from 10 percent.
• TECO reported that 4,271 of its 23,836 customers (18) were without power as of Thursday afternoon, up from 17 percent.

Hernando County: 7 percent remain without power.

TECO reported that crews from from Emera Maine, a sister company to Tampa Electric, are working in difficult terrain to restore power in Oldsmar.

Watch: Hurricane Irma's Destructive Journey By The Numbers

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Pinellas County Extends Its State Of Emergency

As Pinellas County continues its recovery phase from Hurricane Irma, the Board of County Commissioners voted Thursday to extend the local state of emergency declared ahead of the storm for an additional seven days, according to the county's Facebook page. The board held a special public meeting this morning to extend the declaration.

The Emergency Operations Center remains activated to coordinate countywide response and recovery activities following Hurricane Irma. Other county government offices and facilities reopened Thursday morning, aside from parks, preserves and Heritage Village, which will reopen Saturday. Residents are urged to sign up for Alert Pinellas at www.pinellascounty.org to receive emergency notifications by phone or text message. Pinellas County will be posting post-storm updates on social media using hashtag #PinellasIrma.

Hillsborough Assisted Living Facility Has Power Restored

The Stone Ledge Manor Assisted Living & Memory Care Center in Thonotosassa had its power restored Thursday. It had been without power since Sunday, the Tampa Bay Times reports. The center houses 58 elderly residents, said executive director Sue Garcia. She said three patients were taken to the hospital Wednesday.

"We are happy to report that Stone Ledge Manor assisted living community has power and air conditioning as of 8:30 a.m.," according to the center's Facebook page.

Hillsborough County emergency management said the patients could have been taken to other facilities if they had known about the situation.

Tampa Bay's First Responders Can Get Free Admission To USF Game

For USF’s football team, safety came first when deciding to cancel their trip to Storrs, Conn., to play UConn because of Hurricane Irma. Now, USF is looking to give back to the folks that helped keep Floridians safe in the hurricane and for high school football programs who are experiencing cancelled games this weekend.
The University of South Florida will provide complimentary admission to its Friday game against Illinois for first responders and their families, as well as to Florida high school football teams. The nationally-televised contest was previously designated #BayMade Youth Football Night with many area youth football teams expected to be in attendance.
“It’s all about giving back, said USF head coach Charlie Strong. “We want to make sure that everyone is working to give back and get their life (together). It’s going to take a while, we know that. When things happen, we just want to make sure people understand that we do understand. We’re not going through what they’re going through, but we can help them get through what they’re going through.”

Couple Drives From Missouri To Deliver Water, Diapers To Tampa Families

Michael and Amber Myers may call Missouri home, but police say they more than earned honorary Tampa citizen” status Thursday when they showed up to help with the city’s Hurricane Irma recovery efforts.

The Myers are volunteers with the North Carolina-based Avery’s Angels Gastroschisis Foundation. According to the Tampa Police Department, the two “drove from Missouri to drop off 100 cases of water, as well as diapers, for those families in our community still in need. They drove all the way here, stayed long enough to send their best wishes, drop off their gifts and turned around to head home.”

The Myers’ donation came as Hillsborough County continued to collect supplies for residents still reeling from Irma’s impacts. The couple’s generosity, the police department reported on Facebook, has earned them a place in the Tampa family.

Avery’s Angels is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support for families whose children are born with gastroschisis. The condition is a birth defect that results in a baby’s intestines forming on the outside of the body, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC estimates more than 1,800 babies are born with the condition each year in the United States.

Lakeland 7-year-old dies from carbon monoxide emitted by generator

A Lakeland woman who ran a generator in her house after losing power from Hurricane Irma didn’t know the carbon monoxide emitted was deadly, authorities say. Her 7-year-old daughter, Terryn, died in the home, while her mother, Shashunda Wilson, is recovering in a Miami hospital. Authorities have ruled the death an accident.
It was “the first time she had used one, and she was not aware that it could not be in the home,” the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.

Tampa Police Looking for Looters

Police are asking for the public's help to find four looters accused of driving a stolen truck into a Tampa store and stealing numerous items as Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc in the Sunshine State Sunday night. (Subscribe to Tampa Patch for all local crime news.)

At about 10:39 p.m., four men in a stolen four-door white Ford F150 backed into the front of Teresa's Food Mart at 11723 North 15 St., police said.

The unknown males then entered the store and stole numerous items. Police said a vehicle matching the suspect vehicle was stolen on September 10.

Breakdown of Cellphone Outages In Tampa Bay

Federal officials have released a map detailing cellphone outages in each Florida county as the state continues recovery efforts from the deadly and powerful effects of Hurricane Irma.

As many residents and families continue to grapple with massive power outages and try to clear debris from roads in their neighborhoods, the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday released a breakdown of cellphone outages in a status report on communications services.

The FCC said 18 percent of cell sites in Florida were without service Tuesday, an improvement from Monday. That number was 10.5 percent in Georgia and under 1 percent in Alabama.

Below is the breakdown for central Florida:

Hillsborough County

• 157 cell sites were out, or 13.8 percent.

Polk County

• 145 cell sites were out, or 30.1 percent

Pinellas County

• 159 cell sites were out, or 26.7 percent

Pasco County

• 57 cell sites were out, or 17.8 percent

Manatee County

• 23 cell sites were out, or 9.6 percent

Sarasota County

• 66 cell sites were out, or 27 percent

Sen. Nelson Wants Rebates For Service Interruptions Due To Irma

Florida Sen. Bill Nelson has asked the nation’s largest cable, telephone and internet providers for rebates to Hurricane Irma victims for service interruptions, asking Thursday for a 60-day moratorium on late fees and other penalties.
Nelson wrote to the CEOs of CenturyLink, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Enterprises, Frontier Communications, Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon.
His office cited Federal Communications Commission data showing that at least 8.1 million cable and wireline subscribers have lost service in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia because of Hurricane Irma. In a statement, he called for them to “lend a helping hand to your fellow Americans-to help them meet their immediate needs without the added stress of excessive financial demands.”

Food Distribution Sites Open in Hillsborough County

Hillsborough County residents in need of food or wanting to donate some to help others following Hurricane Irma have places to turn.

The county on Thursday announced the opening of several distribution sites in conjunction with Feeding Tampa Bay. Several collection sites have also been announced for those with supplies to donate.

According to the county, the following distribution sites will be available for those in need:

Friday, Sept. 15

• Village Presbyterian, 13115 S. Village Drive, Tampa, from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Saturday, Sept. 16

• University Area Community Development Center, 14013 N. 22nd St., Tampa, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Feeding Tampa Bay is also coordinating efforts to collect supplies and food for those in need. Supplies request include canned, ready-to-eat items with pull tops; protein in pouches or pull-top cans, such as tuna, chili, chicken or stew; snacks; peanut butter; toiletries; paper goods; cleaning supplies and diapers.

Monetary donations are also being accepted. A single $1 donation to Feeding Tampa Bay helps create “10 meals for people in need,” according to the county. To find out more about donating, visit Feeding Tampa Bay online.

To find a full list of collection sites, visit Feeding Tampa Bay online.

Rays Donate to Hurricane Irma relief efforts

When the Tampa Bay Rays return home to Tropicana Field on Friday, fans wishing to donate money to benefit the victims of Hurricane Irma in the Tampa Bay area may do so at youcaring.com/RaysIrmaRelief.

The Rays host the Boston Red Sox and the defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs in a five-game homestand.

Fans holding tickets to the relocated Rays-Yankees games (Sept. 11-13) may exchange them for an equivalent number of complimentary tickets to any one of the Red Sox games (Sept. 15-17) or Baltimore Orioles games (Sept. 29-October 1). When electing to exchange tickets to any of those games, the Rays will donate the value of the exchanged Yankees series tickets to a local Hurricane Irma Relief fund in the name of the ticket purchaser. Refunds are also available upon request. For details, see visit raysbaseball.com/irma.

Largo Residential Storm Debris Collected Monday

Contractors began debris removal on roads maintained by the City of Largo on Thursday, while residential storm debris collection will begin on Monday, the city says in a news release. Residents who can safely do so are asked to place any storm-generated debris on the public right-of-way between the street and sidewalk for collection beginning Monday. The City of Largo’s debris removal contractor is seeking to hire local contractors to assist in the cleanup.

Hurricane Irma Debris Pickup Information

Hurricane Irma debris cleanup in the city of Tampa started Thursday and doesn't require residents to cut or bundle, city officials said. Properly separate debris curbside to expedite cleanup. Debris should be separated into different categories.

Any debris placed from the sidewalk toward your property will not be picked up. The city advises to not place debris near or on trees, poles, or other structures because it makes removal difficult. This includes fire hydrants and meters. If you don't have a sidewalk, ditch or utility line in front of your house, place debris at the edge of your property before the curb.

The city says normal household trash and bagged debris of any kind will not be picked up with hurricane debris.

Here is a graphic showing the categories:

In Hillsborough County, residents cleaning up can start disposing of vegetative storm debris as yard waste collections, a county media release said.

Due to the extent of storm debris created from Hurricane Irma, contracted yard debris collection will start on Monday. Residents should have yard waste placed in piles along the right of way for collection by Monday. Do not block access to storm water drains, utility boxes, or roadways.

As storm debris is being collected, the trucks will be working systematically throughout neighborhoods. The trucks may have to make several passes through the neighborhoods over the next several weeks due to the extent of storm damage, and to ensure the removal of all storm debris put out by residents.

County yard waste facilities are operating under extended hours, Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Residents must show a valid Florida driver's license to receive free yard waste disposal. Yard waste facilities open are:

• Falkenburg Road - 346 N. Falkenburg Road, Tampa 33619
• Northwest County - 8001 W. Linebaugh Ave, Tampa 33625
• South County - 13000 U.S. Highway 41, Gibsonton 33534
• Hillsborough Heights - 6209 County Road 579, Seffner 33584 (opened Wednesday)

In Pasco County, the Solid Waste and Resource Recovery Department, will begin debris removal starting the week of Monday.

In preparation for the removal, Pasco County homeowners must have all debris materials
brought to the curb or roadside for pickup. Residents should be aware and be careful not to
block fire hydrants, mailboxes, electrical boxes or any other structures. Contractor generated
debris will not be picked up. Additionally, do not bag debris and refrigerators should be empty,
with the doors secured or removed.

Requests for debris pickup must be submitted to Pasco County Customer Service Center by
emailing customerservice@pascocountyfl.net, providing the address where the debris is located.
Residents can also call customer service at 727.847.2411.

Debris must be separated into the following categories:

• Furniture: Mattresses, couches, sofas, chairs, dressers, lumber (if not pressure treated), particle board, laminated flooring, dry insulation (if wet, pile with construction), carpet and padding.
• Construction: drywall, plaster board, ceramic tile, concrete, lumber (pressure treated) and wet insulation.

Patch.com will be updating this story.

Read the full story on the assisted living facility's power outage in the Tampa Bay Times.

Residents will have a difficult job removing this tree that fell at their home near Safety Harbor. Photo by Patch Editor Don Johnson