The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recognized Tampa Electric as being StormReady, making TECO the first Florida utility to receive this prestigious national designation.
NOAA assessed Tampa Electric’s storm preparedness, including year-round training, written plans, facilities and communication with employees and community partners. The review also considered how the company monitors weather and how it receives and shares severe weather warnings.
In addition, Lee Connelly, Tampa Electric’s Emergency Management manager, was recognized as a NOAA “Weather-Ready Nation” ambassador.
“The StormReady designation is not just a label, it signifies that we’re on the forefront of advanced storm planning and preparation,” said Connelly. “Being prepared for storms – and being able to quickly recover from them – is essential to provide reliable electricity to our customers when they need it the most.”
The program brings enhanced information sharing with NOAA, personalized leadership training and awareness of several NOAA products, such as the Marine Channel Forecast, to help provide additional details on surge and sea level data in the area.
Storm preparations are a primary reason that Tampa Electric is moving its headquarters and critical energy-control operations further inland, away from potential storm surge and flooding. The buildings will be readily accessible to employees at all times, including during storm response, allowing TECO to continue serving customers at the most critical times.
Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves more than 830,000 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.
