Tampa Electric Sending Crews North to Help Restore Electricity after...

As a powerful winter storm barrels across the country, Tampa Electric is sending nearly 200 people to help restore power in Georgia and other southern states expected to be hit hard by ice, freezing rain and snowfall.

About 60 Tampa Electric line workers and support personnel left at dawn today for the six-hour drive to Macon, Ga., to help Georgia Power. Once the conditions are safe, the line workers will move quickly to begin restoring service. They're prepared to stay up to two weeks.

Another 130 Tampa Electric tree trimming and power line contractors traveled to help Duke Energy Carolinas and Alabama Power.

A major winter storm is forecast to affect most of the U.S. this weekend, with freezing rain, icy conditions and potentially significant snowfall. Utilities are expecting widespread power outages overnight Saturday and into Sunday, outside of Florida. Tampa Electric has sufficient crews in place to respond to any local weather-related issues.

Tampa Electric is a member of the Southeastern Electric Exchange, or SEE, a mutual-aid network of utilities who provide trained crews and equipment to one another in case of a storm or other emergency. Crews supporting the restoration efforts of other utilities are paid by the host utility.

Tampa Electric, one of Florida's largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves about 870,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.