How to check Manatee County power, cell phone outages during Hurricane Idalia

Hurricane Idalia is expected to bring widespread power outages to Florida, and cell phone service could also go down in some places.

Crews are standing by to begin repair work as soon as it is safe, but waits can be extensive after a severe storm.

In Manatee County, residents can check several online resources to track power and cell phone outages.

Track power outages

Both of Manatee County’s electricity providers, Florida Power & Light and Peace River Electric Cooperative, provide online maps that report local outages in real time. Checking the maps is a simple way to determine how widespread an outage is and when power might return.

FPL is the county’s largest power provider, servicing over 200,000 customers. Peace River supplies power to about 40,000 customers in Manatee County.

When an outage happens, the affected area is marked on the map. Click on the marker to learn more about the outage, such as the cause and the number of impacted customers.

During an outage event, staff also provide key information such as when the outage began and whether workers are already trying to restore service.

In some instances, the company will estimate the time when power is expected to return.

▪ To check FPL’s outage map, visit www.FPLMaps.com

▪ To check Peace River’s outage map, visit https://members.preco.coop/maps/OutageWebMap/

Track cell phone outages

If you can’t reach someone in an area affected by the storm, they may have lost cell phone service.

To find the nearest cell tower or see whether the tower that serves you is down and needs repairing, go to cellmapper.net and type in your provider name.

This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 12:00 PM.