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Hurricane Irma live blog: TECO - Restoration effort 'largest in US history'

As Hurricane Irma hits Florida, 10News wants to help everyone weather this storm together.
A driver guides his pickup truck through a neighborhood flooded by Hurricane Irma in Bonita Springs,

TAMPA, Fla. -- As Hurricane Irma makes its approach to Florida, 10News wants to help everyone weather this storm together.

Here's the latest information for Monday, Sept. 11:

10:57 p.m. 90,000 out of 425,000 Tampa Electric customers have their power back, the utility said. About 3,500 line and tree workers from utility companies as far away as the Midwest, Northeast and Canada are assisting with restoration efforts, which TECO says is the largest such effort in U.S. history.

10:39 p.m. New power outage numbers show crews are making progress toward restoring electrical service.
Duke Citrus: 25,533
Duke Hernando: 8,568
Duke Hillsborough: 23* (total of 24 customers)
Duke Pasco: 84,798
Duke Pinellas: 415,248
Duke Polk: 61,324

TECO: 307,812

9:06 p.m. Columbia Restaurant's two locations will reopen Tuesday.

7:43 p.m. OneBlood will resume blood collection on Tuesday. All types are needed, but thee's an urgent need for platelets and O negative donors.

7:14 p.m. Polk County Utilities is issuing a required precautionary boil water notice due to a loss of pressure. The notice is for customers located in subdivisions and places of business in the Lake Garfield Public Water System, which includes Lake Garfield Estates on the south side of Highway 60, east of Bartow. Approximately 120 customers are affected. As a precaution all water users should drink bottled water and/or boil water to a rolling boil for at least one minute for cooking and drinking.

7:10 p.m. The Florida Lottery will resume drawing on Tuesday. Make-up drawings will also be made Tuesday in the order they were to be originally held. The video of the drawings will appear on the Florida Lottery's YouTube channel.

7:05 p.m. Amazon.com is advising customers that Tampa-area facilities have temporarily closed and customers in the area should expect delays receiving their orders while damage to

6:24 p.m. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge has reopened to all traffic.

6:17 p.m. Out of service traffic signals due to power outages has created dangerous road conditions, as dozens of traffic signals along St. Petersburg's north-south routes are out, St. Petersburg police said. The city's emergency operations center is requesting 200 additional traffic control officers. Officials advise motorists to treat flashing or non-working traffic signals as 4-way stop signs.

6:00 p.m. Busch Gardens will remain closed Tuesday for debris cleanup. The park is expected to reopen Wednesday.

5:36 p.m. Pinellas County Schools will remain closed Tuesday and Wednesday; Thursday and Friday to be determined.

5:24 p.m. Three shelters are still open in Hillsborough County:

  • Burnett Middle School, 1010 N. Kingsway Road, Seffner (pet-friendly)
  • Middleton High School, 4801 N. 22nd Street, Tampa
  • Shields Middle School, 15732 Beth Shields Way, Ruskin (no longer accepting pets)

5:16 p.m. The following Veterans Hospital Tampa clinics will be open on Tuesday:

  • Zephyrhills Community Based Outpatient Clinic (Primary Care & Mental Health)
  • Lakeland Community Based Outpatient Clinic (Primary Care & Mental Health)
  • Brooksville Community Based Outpatient Clinics for both Primary Care & Mental Health
  • Tampa Outpatient Pharmacy
  • Tampa Eye Clinic on 46th Street
  • Tampa Mental Health Clinic on 46th Street
  • Tampa Dermatology Clinic

5:09 p.m. HART to resume service tomorrow on a Sunday schedule.

5:03 p.m. Pasco County has ordered voluntary evacuations along the Anclote River.

5:02 p.m Polk County is under a curfew from midnight until 5 a.m. Tuesday.

4:34 p.m. MacDill Air Force Base residents may return to base. Base officials have completed an initial damage assessment and determined that it is safe for the nearly 20,000 employees and residents to return.

4:31 p.m. Marion County has instituted a curfew from 10 p.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday. Marion County schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

4:06 p.m. Access to Pinellas County barrier islands reopened. Also, access to Clearwater Beach has resumed.

4:04 p.m. Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority will resume service Tuesday.

3:45 p.m. Gas lines are long at the Mobil station at Central and Hillsborough Avenue. Police are helping to direct traffic.

Mobil at Central and Hillsborough Avenue is seeing long lines after Hurricane Irma.

3:35 p.m. Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital is canceling all outpatient clinic appointments and therapy appointments scheduled for Tuesday. Staff will reach out to families directly to reschedule.

3:25 p.m. Boil water notices are in place for the following Hernando County areas:

* Weeki Wachee Woodlands east of U.S. 19.
* Eastern Hernando County - east of I-75
* City of Brooksville

3:24 p.m. Florida Aquarium in Tampa is reopening Tuesday.

2:39 p.m. Wawa's says the following locations are open and have fuel, as long as supplies last:

401 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. Tampa FL Hillsborough

5702 W. Waters Ave. Tampa FL Hillsborough

4026 US Highway 19 New Port Richey FL Pasco

1215 N. Missouri Ave. Largo FL Pinellas

334 Havendale Blvd. Auburndale FL Polk

2344 S. Tamiami Trail Venice FL Sarasota

The location at 12984 Cortez Blvd. Brooksville FL , is open but has no gas.

2:38 p.m St. Pete-Clearwater Airport to reopen Tuesday, flights to resume Wednesday.

2:12 p.m. Pinellas County government offices and parks facilities will be closed Tuesday due to recovery efforts following Hurricane Irma.

Stay tuned for post-storm updates through weather alert radios, local media outlets, the county website (www.pinellascounty.org) and county social media accounts; search hashtag #PinellasIrma.

2:00 p.m. Water service has been restored to Sarasota County barrier islands including Bird Key, Coon Key, St. Armands Key and Lido Key. A boil water notice is now in effect for 48 hours for those customers who lost water service. Water customers will be notified when the advisory is lifted.

1:32 p.m. All access to Clearwater Beach remains closed at this time. There are still many live power lines and much debris on the streets

1:21 p.m. Pinellas County to reopen barrier islands access at 4 p.m.

1:16 p.m. Publix has released a list of their open and closed supermarkets.

12:46 p.m. Tips from the Florida Attorney General's Office for avoiding price gouging disaster scams and looting:

  • Research the company and its reputation–ask for references. Contact the Florida Attorney General’s Office at 1 (866) 9NO-SCAM to check if there are complaints against the company;
  • Check for proof of insurance and verify with the insurer that their policy is current, and
  • Never pay the full amount up front and do not make a final payment until you are completely satisfied with the work done.

12:43 p.m. Legoland plans to reopen Thursday.

12:20 p.m. Clearwater officials are asking people to please not put debris back into the roadways that city crews have cleared off. Stack the debris along the curb, away from storm sewers and solid waste will pick up as soon as they are able.

For trash and recycling services, residents who usually are scheduled for a Monday pickup will have their trash picked up Tuesday. Those scheduled for a Tuesday pickup should plan to have their trash and recycling picked up Wednesday. Thursday and Friday pickup services will be on their regular schedule. City offices will be open on Tuesday and city employees should report to work.

12:15 p.m. Wells Fargo branches will remain closed on Tuesday.

11:45 a.m. State Road 70 in Manatee County is closed near the Myakka River due to flooding.

11:40 a.m. Power outages (by county):

Duke Citrus County: 25,354 customers
Duke Hernando County: 8,506 customers
Duke Hillsborough County: 23 customers* (Note: There are only 24 total customers in the county)
Duke Pasco County: 79,896 customers
Duke Pinellas County: 398,826 customers
Duke Polk County: 61,997 customers
TECO (mostly Hillsborough County): 329,135 which represents 54.6 percent of their total customer base

11:30 a.m. St. Petersburg city officials, including Mayor Rick Kriseman, spoke about the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

11:30 a.m. Tampa Bay bridge updates, according to Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Steve Gaskins:

  • The Sunshine Skyway is closed (45 mph average with gusts up to 57 mph)
  • The Gandy Bridge is open
  • Howard Frankland Bridge is open
  • Courtney Campbell Causeway is open

11 a.m. Tropical Storm Irma has winds at 65 miles per hour. It is moving north between Jacksonville and Tallahassee.

10:45 a.m. Classes are not expected to resume at Pasco County Schools until Monday, Sept. 18.

10:30 a.m. Pinellas County emergency management officials said the county is not experiencing flooding or major road closures in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.

County emergency management officials asked residents to minimize water use to prevent sewer backups and overflows.

10:20 a.m. Sarasota County's landfill is closed Monday. It will reopen at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

10:15 a.m. The water in the cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg is safe to drink.

9:30 a.m. The city of Venice has a 72-hour boil water advisory.

9:11 a.m. Tampa International Airport said flights will not resume Monday as they assess the airport's condition. Travelers can expect travel to resume by Tuesday or Wednesday.

9 a.m. Hillsborough fire chief said roughly a dozen homes in the area were completely destructed by fallen trees, which is a small number considering the circumstances.

County emergency management officials spoke after Hurricane Irma passed through the Tampa Bay area.

The county did not finish their inspections at the time of Monday's 9 a.m. news conference.

County administrator Mike Merrill did not rule out the possibility of flooding in Hillsborough County.

8:30 a.m. Manatee County has lifted its curfew effectively immediately.

8 a.m. The city of Tampa has lifted its curfew effective immediately.

8 a.m. The National Hurricane Center downgraded Irma to a tropical storm as it moves north across the Florida peninsula.

Winds are at 70 mph as Irma moves toward the Florida-Georgia state line.

7 a.m. Pasco County officials have lifted its curfew effective immediately. Residents can drive on county roads and return home.

About 50 percent of county residents are without power, according to assistant county public safety administrator Kevin Guthrie.

6:05 a.m. Pinellas County sheriff's deputies are warning citizens to stay off all county roadways due to hazardous conditions that include traffic light outages, downed power lines and significant debris blocking roadways.

Pinellas County is currently sealed off at the county lines, and deputies are restricting access until damage and safety assessments are completed.

The barrier islands also remain closed.

6 a.m. Tampa Bay bridge updates from Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Steve Gaskins:

  • The Sunshine Skyway is closed (45 mph average with gusts up to 57 mph)
  • Westbound traffic lanes on the Gandy Bridge is closed by the Tampa Police Department, eastbound traffic lanes are open
  • Howard Frankland Bridge is open
  • Courtney Campbell Causeway is closed

Photos: Hurricane Irma damage and destruction

6 a.m. The National Weather Service has issued tropical storm warnings in place for hurricane warnings for much of the Tampa Bay area.

5:30 a.m. Trees, power lines and other obstructions are in Polk County roadways. The public is advised not to drive before sunrise as road conditions are difficult and poor visibility only makes the conditions worse.

5:15 a.m. Duke Energy remains at 469,710 outages.

  • Citrus: 16,426
  • Hernando: 7,127
  • Highlands: 48,228
  • Pasco: 52,814
  • Pinellas: 297,572
  • Polk: 43,083
  • Sumter: 4,460

TECO’s outages have grown to 295,233.

FPL now has 174,640 outages

  • Highlands: 420
  • Manatee: 108,800
  • Sarasota: 174,640

5 a.m. Irma remains a Category 1 hurricane with winds at 75 mph as of the National Hurricane Center's 5 a.m., Sept. 11 update. The hurricane is about 60 miles north of Tampa.

4:55 a.m. The city of St. Petersburg is lifting its curfew starting at 8 a.m. Monday.

People are asked to stay inside until the all clear is given later Monday morning.

4:30 a.m. Duke Energy has 469,710 customers without power, including in Pinellas County with 297,527 customers in the dark.

TECO has 294,383 customers without power.

Florida Power and Light has 280,390 customers without power.

4 a.m. Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies worked to remove downed trees on Bloomingdale Avenue near Kings Avenue after Hurricane Irma.

Watch: Hurricane Irma damage in Eastern Hillsborough County

3 a.m. The number of TECO outages has increased from 271,897 to 292,793.

FPL has seen increases in Manatee County from 104,630 to 109,340, and Sarasota County from 159,180 to 167,850. A total of 277,610 customers are now without power when Highlands County is added.

Duke Energy outages remain at 319,398.

3 a.m. Several law enforcement agencies began taking emergency calls again in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, including the St. Petersburg Police Department, Lakeland Police Department and Sarasota Sherrif's Office.

2:45 a.m. Deputies with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office began removing downed trees after Hurricane Irma.

2 a.m. Hurricane Irma continues to weaken as it moves north across the Florida peninsula. As of the 2 a.m. National Hurricane Center update, it is an 85-mph storm — Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

1:55 a.m. The Hillsborough County emergency operations manager said the county will assess the damage once Hurricane Irma moves through the Tampa Bay area.

County officials said storm surge was about 1-2 feet, which was less than expected.

Winds are still too strong for emergency crews to assess the damage. Sustained winds around 40 mph with gusts of 50 mph.

1:15 a.m. Polk County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Chris Lynne and Polk County Fire Rescue Paramedic James Tanner Schaill were trapped in their patrol vehicle late Sunday when strong winds downed trees and power lines in their path.

1 a.m. Nearly 1 million Tampa Bay residents are without power as the eye of Hurricane Irma approaches Polk County.

12:30 a.m. Lakeland police officers helped rescue a family stranded inside their car in a 4-foot water-filled ditch on Monday morning amid Hurricane Irma.

Midnight The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for most of East Central Florida until 2 a.m. Monday.

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Here's the latest information for Sunday, Sept. 10:

11:04 p.m. Polk County Fire Rescue no longer responding to emergency calls,

10:23 p.m.: Pasco County is no longer responding to emergency calls.

9:47 p.m. The City of Largo has announced that it is in emergency response mode and that Largo Fire Rescue are no longer responding to emergency calls.

9:12:p.m. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office no longer responding to emergency calls.

7:57 p.m. Pinellas County Sheriff's Office says its deputies are no longer on the road.

7:52 p.m. Hillsborough emergency officials no longer responding to emergency calls on east side of county.

7:36 p.m. City of Venice Utilities is asking customers to conserve water because of difficulties at the water plant. Please use water only for essential uses.

5:57 p.m. The city of Lake Wales says a story is going around saying water will be cut off at 6 p.m. They said the story is false.

5:15 p.m. We received video from Marcelo Clavejo showing two manatees who were stranded during Hurricane Irma being rescued near Whitfield.

4:44 p.m. All westbound lanes of the Gandy Bridge and the Courtney Campbell Causeway are closed due to deteriorating weather.

4:11 p.m. Due to weather conditions, Manatee County deputies will no longer respond to emergency calls. They will resume when conditions improve.

4:08 p.m. TECO is reminding customers to disregard reports that it will be shutting off electricity at a specific time. Your electricity may go out because of the storm, and the utility may institute rolling blackouts, but it has no plans to shut off the electricity entirely.

4:01 p.m. President Trump has approved a major disaster declaration for Florida.

3:49 p.m. Hurricane Irma makes landfall on Marco Island.

1:43 p.m. Today, shortly after Hurricane Irma made landfall at Cudjoe Key in the Lower Florida Keys, Gov. Rick Scott requested a Major Disaster Declaration for every county in Florida from President Donald Trump.

Scott said, “As Hurricane Irma makes landfall in Florida, we are fully committed to providing every resource to Floridians for response and recovery. We will spare no expense to save lives and help Floridians. We’ve worked aggressively all week to prepare for this powerful storm and keep people safe, but we have a long road ahead.”

1:27 p.m. AT&T is automatically issuing credits and waiving additional fees to give unlimited data, talk and texts to AT&T wireless customers and unlimited talk and texts to AT&T prepaid customers across all of Florida through at least Sept. 17.

1:12 p.m. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri is restricting all access into Pinellas County starting immediately after the storm. This will be enforced until further notice and will remain in effect until a damage and safety assessment is complete. The sheriff will announce when it is safe to return.

12:47 p.m. Sarasota County says its schools will be closed Monday.

12:14 p.m. Pinellas County tweets people have one hour to get to a safe shelter,

12:07 p.m. A tornado watch was in effect for the entire Tampa Bay area until midnight. The tornado watches have since expired.

11:33 a.m. Pasco County has included a link on its official website to check on shelter availability.

11:10 a.m. The city of Tampa has issued a curfew starting at 6 p.m. Sunday.

11:05 a.m. The National Weather Service has issued tornado warnings for Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk and Sumter counties until 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

10:55 a.m. Because of Hurricane Irma, Uber has suspended service in the Tampa Bay area, Sarasota, Miami, Florida Keys, Orlando, Tallahassee, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Naples and South Florida.

10:52 a.m. Irma remains a Category 4 hurricane at 130 mph. It is moving north at 9 mph.

Hurricane Irma is 115 miles south-southeast of Fort Myers, Florida.

10:50 a.m. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Polk County. The warning is in effect until 11:15 a.m. Sunday.

10:45 a.m. Pasco County says it won’t soon be able to pick people up to take to shelter. The county is running out of time to do so safely. People are asked to contact friends, family or a paid car service.

10:20 a.m. Hernando County officials provided an update on final preparations ahead of Hurricane Irma.

10:15 a.m. The Associated Press reports the first-ever tropical storm warning was issued for Atlanta as Hurricane Irma hits Florida on its way toward Georgia.

10 a.m. Hillsborough County officials provided an update on final preparations ahead of Hurricane Irma.

9:50 a.m. The city of St. Petersburg is enacting a curfew starting at 5 p.m. Sunday.

The curfew will remain in effect for the duration of Hurricane Irma.

Related: Tampa Bay-area curfews issued as Hurricane Irma makes approach

9:35 a.m. The Associated Press reports 1 million Florida customers are without power.

9:30 a.m. Manatee County officials provided an update on preparations ahead of Hurricane Irma.

County District 4 Commissioner Robin DiSabatino warned against bringing a gas-powered generator inside of a home.

The county is enacting a 24-hour curfew starting at 3 p.m. Sunday. It is a second-degree misdemeanor for someone who does not follow the curfew.

9:15 a.m. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Hardee County until 9:15 a.m. Sunday. The warning has since been canceled.

9:10 a.m. Hurricane Irma made landfall at Cudjoe Key, according to the National Hurricane Center.

8:55 a.m. The Manatee County Sheriff's Office is enacting a 24-hour curfew starting at 3 p.m. Sunday.

8:45 a.m. Someone took a last-minute flight from the Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St. Petersburg as Hurricane Irma approaches the Tampa Bay area.

8:40 a.m. Uber is providing free rides to Hillsborough County shelters. Use the promo code TBSHELTER.

8:15 a.m. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office confirmed one Marathon man died Saturday in a crash during the storm.

First responders found a man dead inside a truck, which was wrapped around a tree.

The Florida Highway Patrol will investigate the case when it is safe to do so. It is unknown at this time if the crash was weather related or not.

8:10 a.m. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Polk County. The warning has since been canceled.

8 a.m. Irma's winds remain at 130 mph, moving north-northwest at about 8 mph. Irma is about to hit the Florida Keys.

The hurricane is about 20 miles east-southeast of Key West as of the National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m., Sept. 10 update.

7:15 a.m. AT&T is offering free texts and calls to customers impacted by Hurricane Irma from Sept. 6 through Sept. 15. Click here for more information.

7:10 a.m. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd spoke about the county's preparations as Irma approaches the Tampa Bay area.

Watch: Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is ready for Irma

7:05 a.m. Hurricane Irma's northern eyewall reached the lower Florida Keys. Some 430,000 people across Florida are without power.

7 a.m. Several shelters in Sarasota County remain open. Some 16,000 people are in shelters in the county.

6:45 a.m. TECO reported about 70 percent of its customers could be without power during Hurricane Irma. Rolling blackouts are possible in Tampa.

6:30 a.m. Some 16,714 people are in shelters in Pinellas County. The shelters are about 58 percent full.

Nine of the county's 10 shelters still have space. Only John Sexton Elementary School is at capacity.

6 a.m. There are 381,429 Florida customers without power as Hurricane Irma continues to approach the state, according to Gov. Rick Scott.

5 a.m. Irma remained a Category 4 hurricane with winds at 130 mph as of the National Hurricane Center's 5 a.m. update on Sunday, Sept. 10. Hurricane Irma is 40 miles south-southeast of Key West, Florida.

Photos: Florida preps for Hurricane Irma

3:30 a.m. Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies will close off access to the county’s barrier islands.

The restriction includes residents and businesses for the barrier islands from the Dunedin Causeway to Tierra Verde.

Citizens leaving the barrier islands will not be impacted.

The county will announce plans for re-entry once the hurricane passes.

2 a.m. Irma has restrengthened to a Category 4 hurricane with winds at 130 mph as of the National Hurricane Center's 2 a.m., Sept. 10 update.

12:18 a.m. The National Weather Service has extended a tornado watch until noon Sunday in several Florida counties, including Highlands

The other counties are Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Indian River, Lee, Mainland Monroe, Martin, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, Osceola, Palm Beach and St. Lucie.

Watch Live: Hurricane Irma coverage

12:11 a.m. Pasco County is seeking 20 volunteers who know how to operate ham radios to assist with Hurricane Irma response efforts.

Volunteers must have their own portable or mobile radio with UHF/VHF capability.

If you are ready to help, please email your contact information at volunteer@pascocountyfl.net or call the Customer Service Volunteer Hotline at 727-847-8944 to register. Other volunteer opportunities are also available. Additional information will be posted at http://www.pascocountyfl.net/.

Photos: Hurricane Irma damage and destruction

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