ST.
PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 6, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida rapidly restored power for 90%
of its customers within 24 hours after Hurricane Debby made
landfall in the Big Bend. Crews continue to work tirelessly to
restore power in areas hardest hit, and the company will not stop
until every customer has power.
Duke Energy Florida anticipates restoring 95% of customers in
Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy,
Marion and Sumter counties by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday evening, though many customers
will be restored before then.
Hurricane Debby brought strong winds, heavy rainfall and
widespread flooding to Florida.
The company has relocated crews to concentrate on the hardest-hit
areas as they require additional work to complete restoration.
The estimated time of restoration for 95% of the remaining
customers in the hardest-hit areas is 11:59
p.m. Wednesday evening.
The remaining customers in the hardest-hit areas include:
- Alachua County
- Columbia County
- Dixie County
- Gilchrist County
- Hamilton County
- Jefferson County
- Lafayette County
- Madison County
- Suwannee County
- Taylor County
- Wakulla County
The company continues to work alongside its neighboring
utilities, cooperatives and municipalities served by Duke Energy
Florida transmission lines and substations to ensure estimated
times of restoration are coordinated.
Flood and meter box damage
For customers whose home or business is flooded, Duke Energy
cannot reconnect power until the electrical system has been
inspected by a licensed electrician. If there is damage, an
electrician will need to make repairs and obtain verification from
the local building inspection authority before power can be
restored.
If the meter box is pulled away from a customer's house or
mobile home service pole and power is not being received, the
homeowner is responsible for contacting an electrician to reattach
the meter box and/or provide a permanent fix. In some instances, an
electrical inspection may be required by the county before Duke
Energy can reconnect service. An electrician can advise customers
on next steps.
Duke Energy will continue to update customers through emails,
text messages, phone calls, social media and its website, including
the outage map.
"Duke Energy is grateful for our customers' continued patience
and understanding as our crews have been working around the clock
to get the lights back on," said Todd
Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director. "We are proud
of our progress so far, but we remain laser focused on safely
restoring power for every last customer, going above and beyond to
demonstrate our commitment to the communities we serve."
Downed power lines are hazardous
Duke Energy reminds customers and the public to stay away from
downed power lines that have fallen or are sagging, and to consider
all power lines – and trees, limbs or anything in contact with
power lines – energized and dangerous.
If a power line falls across a vehicle you are in, stay in the
car. If you MUST get out of the car due to a fire or other
immediate life-threatening situation, try to jump clear of the car
and land on both feet. Be sure that no part of your body is
touching the car when your feet touch the ground.
Customers using generators
If you use a generator at home to provide power until your
service is restored, please watch for utility crews and turn the
generator off when crews are in your area. The electrical load on
the power lines can be dangerous for crews making repairs. The
excess electricity created by a generator can feed back onto the
electric lines, severely injuring a line technician who might be
working on a power line, believing it to be de-energized.
For more information, customers can sign up online for
phone and email alerts or text REG to 57801 for text alerts,
bookmark the outage map and download the mobile app for
updates.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300
megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million
residential, commercial and industrial customers across a
13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.
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 Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook,
and visit illumination for stories about the people and
innovations powering our energy transition.
Contact: Audrey Stasko
Media line: 800.559.3853
Twitter:
@DE_AudreyS
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SOURCE Duke Energy