Over 3 million people in Florida are without power: here are the challenges in one hard-hit county

Hurricane Milton left more than three million Florida residents without power when it tore across the state overnight Wednesday, and officials are pleading for patience as crews work around the clock to get the lights back on.

Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, was one of the heaviest-hit areas. The head of local electric company Tampa Electric (TECO) explained during a press conference Thursday afternoon that nearly 600,000 of TECO's 850,000 customers were without power, and laid out the challenges workers face in restoring it.