- 7,500 lineworkers, vegetation workers and support
personnel strategically positioned
- Power restored to about 190,000 customers as of noon
today
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Tropical Storm Debby continues to impact the
Carolinas, and Duke Energy's 7,500 lineworkers, vegetation workers
and other support personnel are either restoring power or
strategically positioned to move once conditions are safe to
do so.
As of noon today, nearly 300,000 Duke Energy customers in the
Carolinas have experienced an outage and crews have restored power
to about 190,000 of these customers. Duke Energy serves more than
4.5 million customers in North
Carolina and South
Carolina.
The company is proactively communicating with customers and
community stakeholders and is committed to continuing to keep the
public informed about power restoration efforts.
In addition, the safety of our customers and communities is
important. Below are some tips and information on the power
restoration process.
After the storm safety
- Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging.
Consider all lines energized, as well as trees, limbs or anything
in contact with lines.
- If a power line falls across a car that 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, do your best 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.
- Downed lines will be hard to see in the rain and can
potentially be hidden in standing water. If you encounter large
pools of standing water, stop, back up and choose another
path.
Power restoration process
Before power can be restored, crews first must assess the extent
of damage – which can take 24 hours or more – to determine which
crews, equipment and supplies will be needed before repairs can
begin. For employee safety, Duke Energy line technicians do
not perform elevated work in bucket trucks when winds are above 30
mph. When the storm passes and wind speeds drop below 39 mph
making it safe for travel, crews will begin damage assessment and
repairs.
Duke Energy focuses on restoring power in a sequence that
enables power restoration to public health and safety facilities
and to the greatest number of customers as safely and quickly as
possible. Our typical restoration process follows this
sequence:
- Public safety situations – crews locate downed power lines and
make sure electricity is no longer flowing through the
wires.
- Transmission, substation equipment and main distribution lines
– these serve large numbers of customers and large geographic
areas, and must be restored first to keep electricity flowing from
power plants to neighborhoods.
- Essential facilities – emergency service and critical
infrastructure such as hospitals, law enforcement, fire departments
and water treatment facilities.
- Distribution lines – we work to get the largest number of
customers back on as quickly as possible
How Duke Energy restores
power: www.dukeenergyupdates.com/info/how-duke-energy-restores-power
High-water reminders
- Individuals who live along lakes and rivers and in flood-prone
areas should pay close attention to local media and updated weather
forecasts for changes in weather conditions and rising water
levels.
- Real-time lake level information is available
at duke-energy.com/lakes, by calling 800.829.5253 and via the
Duke Energy Lake View mobile app.
Electrical safety guidelines for floods
- If rising water threatens your home or business – or if you
evacuate due to flooding – turn off your power at the circuit
breaker panel or fuse box.
- Electric current passes easily through water, so stay away from
downed electrical lines.
- Don't drive over – and don't stand near – downed electrical
lines.
- Never replace a fuse or touch a circuit breaker with wet hands
or while standing on a wet or damp surface.
- If your 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 necessary repairs and obtain verification from your local
building inspection authority before power can be restored.
Reporting an outage
Customers are encouraged to
sign up for alerts and know how to report an outage. Receive the
most up-to-date information about restoration efforts by enrolling
in Outage Alerts. If you lose power, text OUT to
57801, report online or through the mobile app, or call 800.POWERON
(800.769.3766).
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.
24-Hour Media Line: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy