- Fast-moving tropical storm could bring heavy rain and gusty
winds to parts of the Carolinas
- More than 10,000 lineworkers, tree trimmers and other storm
workers will be ready to assess damage and respond as soon as
conditions are safe
- Grid improvements, new self-healing technology aim to reduce
outages
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 25,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy is asking its
customers in the Carolinas to ready themselves and their family
members for Tropical Storm Helene, which is likely to impact the
region late Thursday and into Friday. This includes preparing for
potential power outages.
"Helene is a large and fast-moving storm that has the potential
to deliver torrential rain and tropical-storm-force gusts to the
western half of the Carolinas," said Jason
Hollifield, Duke Energy's storm director in the Carolinas.
"We're closely monitoring the projected path of the storm and
strategically moving people and equipment to ensure we're ready to
respond to power outages."
Prior to Tropical Storm Helene arriving in the Carolinas, Duke
Energy will have more than 10,000 workers – including lineworkers,
tree trimmers, damage assessors and support personnel – staged and
ready to respond as soon as conditions are safe.
Safety and preparedness tips
Customers should visit
duke-energy.com/StormTips for storm safety information ahead of
Tropical Storm Helene. In addition, Duke Energy recommends
customers review these preparedness tips:
- Create or update an emergency supply kit that includes
everything an individual or family would need – especially
medicines, water, nonperishable foods and other supplies that might
be hard to find after a storm hits.
- Keep a portable radio or TV or a NOAA weather radio on hand to
monitor weather forecasts and vital information from state and
local officials.
- Charge cellphones, computers and other electronic devices in
advance of storms to stay connected to important safety and
response information. Consider purchasing and charging portable
battery chargers.
- Maintain a plan to move family members – especially those with
special needs – to safe, alternative locations in case extended
power outages occur or evacuation is required.
- Pet owners should arrange to stay at evacuation shelters that
accept pets, friends' or family members' homes or pet-friendly
hotels.
- Customers are encouraged to enroll in Outage Alerts to get
information about area outages and restoration efforts via text
message, voice message or email. In addition, customers can report
power outages via the Duke Energy app or website, by texting OUT to
57801 or by calling 800.POWERON (800.769.3766).
- Customers can also download the enhanced American Red Cross
Emergency app for weather safety. The latest version of the app,
sponsored by the Duke Energy Foundation, is free, available in both
English and Spanish and offers a variety of features including
emergency checklists, interactive maps of open shelters and the
ability to monitor multiple locations for weather alerts.
- Everyone should always stay away from power lines that have
fallen or are sagging – and consider all lines energized, as well
as trees, limbs, fences or anything in contact with lines. Downed
lines are hard to see in the rain and standing water. Anyone who
encounters large pools of standing water should stop, back up and
choose another path.
Grid improvements, self-healing technology reduce frequency
and duration of outages
Duke Energy continues to strengthen
its power grid in the Carolinas to make it more resistant to
outages from severe weather. The company is also creating a more
resilient grid that enables power to be restored faster for
customers.
Some of these improvements include upgrading thousands of poles
and wires to increase reliability and better withstand storms;
strategically placing outage-prone power lines underground;
managing trees and vegetation; and installing smart, self-healing
technology that can automatically detect power outages and quickly
restore power when an outage occurs.
This self-healing technology helped prevent nearly 100,000
customer outages – totaling approximately 360,000 hours – in August
when Tropical Storm Debby passed through the Carolinas.
Duke Energy serves more than 4.5 million customers in the
Carolinas, including approximately 3.7 million in North Carolina and 835,500 in South Carolina.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150
company headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies.
The company's electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky, and collectively own
54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities
serve 1.7 million customers in North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition,
keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the
forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions
from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions
from electricity generation by 2050. The company is investing in
major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including
expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and nuclear.
More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke
Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy
on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for
stories about the people and innovations powering our energy
transition.
Contact:
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy