TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — The sound of generators still running, the open windows in the Florida heat, and signs that many people remain without power days after Hurricane Milton.
Lewis Groden is one of the millions of people who lost power due to the storm.
"We've been out without power since Wednesday evening, about nine o'clock," Groden said.
By Monday morning, utility trucks were parked in his neighborhood as linemen worked diligently to repair the power. Lineman first deployed at about 7 A.M. Thursday morning, just hours after Hurricane Milton's landfall.
Tampa Electric’s system experienced nearly 600,000 outages from Hurricane Milton. The outages were mainly caused by uprooted trees and other storm debris that knocked down overhead power lines and poles.
TECO has 6,000 linemen helping to restore power, with teams coming as far north as Canada.
"Shows we can be a nation... sometimes," Groden joked about the willingness to send help from others.
Tampa Electric restored essentially all customers in Polk County by Sunday, October 13. In Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, the company set a milestone of restoring power to 75% of customers by the end of Tuesday, October 15, but reached that milestone by Monday morning, much earlier than planned.
By early Monday morning, nearly 70% of the TECO customers impacted by Milton had their power restored.
The estimated restoration dates for essentially all Tampa Electric customers in:
- Pasco County, by 11:59 p.m. Monday, October 14
- Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17
TECO said there will be longer delays for any areas with more extensive damage.
"I know we'll get power back, and it'll be a matter of days. If we were very fortunate at our house, we really did not have much damage. We lost power. I was riding my bicycle around yesterday, and couple of blocks from here, there are some fairly new large homes with the roofs damaged and severe damage to their home and possessions. So, at least, we were very lucky," said Groden.
Meantime, the Barfield's had to find a way to thank the dedicated workers. Kevin Barfield said the idea to help came to him while talking to neighbors.
"I was cooking some breakfast for the neighbors in my parent's condo, and, you know, I was just, I was hungry, and figured I had a camp stove, and we made some breakfast. And some of the older ladies were saying that was the first hot meal they had since the storm. And I was like, we can't, you know, we can't let this happen," he recalled.
Kevin continued, "So I, right then, I planned on cooking some chicken and stuff that night for them, just to everyone in the community to have a warm dinner. And that's when I thought about the linemen, you know, and I got a big smoker. I can cook a lot of meat on it."
Barfield's cooler of hot sandwiches was a warm welcome to the linemen, who were working 16-hour shifts to restore power.
"I've heard a lot of lot of people that are complaining about not having power. These linemen are busting their butts out here trying to get it done," Barfield said.
Barfield's act of service comes at a time of uncertainty for him. Just two weeks before Milton, Hurricane Helene destroyed his home.
"It definitely helps to do something, you know, because it, like I said, my house is all torn apart right now there's nothing I can do more as it's drying out, right? So I can't really sit still, and that's when I thought my time would be better used helping these guys that are out here doing what they can do," he said.
And to Lewis Groden, this is another sign of the strength of resiliency we showcase when disaster strikes.
"I think most of the time when there's a disaster, big or small, people come together and they help one another. It shows we can still be good neighbors," he said.
TECO has an order for restoring power. Hurricane Milton launched the largest restoration project ever, according to TECO.
The electric company begins by addressing the power plants and transmission lines. Then, they focus on restoring power to hospitals, police and fire stations, schools, and other essential buildings.
Next, the focus is on public services such as communication providers, supermarkets, and home-building supply centers.
TECO then moves to address neighborhoods and residential outages. Approximately 800 circuits deliver electricity to homes and businesses, each serving up to a thousand or more customers.
TECO said the priority in repairing those circuits is to start with the ones that will restore power to the most customers in the shortest amount of time.
They also stress that customers in the same neighborhood may be on different circuits, which explains why one neighbor may have power and another does not.
With thousands still without power in South Florida, TECO is continuing to work day and night on getting the lights back on. "We know how frustrating it is, how inconvenient it is not to have power, and so the team is really committed to the cause," says CEO Archie Collins.
