TAMPA, Fla. — Hundreds of people and more than 100 pets have been rescued throughout Hillsborough County after Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night along Florida's Gulf Coast.
According to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, more than 500 rescues have already been conducted, with more to come as officials continue to respond to calls in the area. Of the people rescued, authorities say about 135 were rescued from an assisted living facility in the university area. In a news release, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said 104 pets had also been rescued.
"While we expect these numbers to rise as operations continue, we are committed to keeping our community updated as information becomes available," Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said in a news release.
Multiple deaths have been reported across the state, including two in nearby St. Petersburg.
More than a million customers are still without power, including hundreds of thousands in the Tampa area. As of 2 p.m. Thursday:
- Duke Energy is reporting: 962,928 customers are without power
- Tampa Electric (TECO) is reporting: 598,016 customers without power
Residents can report power outages, downed power lines, or other safety concerns in numerous ways, including calling (877) 588-1010, on the TECO Outage Map, and texting "OUT" to 27079.
Residents can also report fallen trees, traffic light outages, street flooding, and storm debris in the right of way by calling (813) 274-3101 or using the office's Resident Damage Self-Reporting Form by clicking here.
