Duke Energy continues with power restoration; nearly 198,000 customers restored following Hurricane Helene's landfall
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 27, 2024 ~ Duke Energy Florida Continues Power Restoration Efforts After Hurricane Helene's Landfall

As the sun rose on the morning of September 15th, Duke Energy Florida's 8,000 workers were already hard at work restoring power to their customers in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The powerful storm made landfall the previous day, causing widespread damage and leaving over 600,000 customers without electricity.

According to Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida's storm director, their crews worked tirelessly through the night to assess the damage and restore power where it was safe to do so. As of 7:30 a.m., they had successfully restored power for nearly 198,000 customers. However, over 402,000 were still experiencing outages.

"We've made significant progress over the last 24 hours, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us," Fountain stated. "We thank our customers for their patience, support and ongoing commitment to safety."

Duke Energy's main focus is on restoring power as quickly and safely as possible. They have a specific sequence in place that prioritizes public health and safety facilities while also considering how to impact the greatest number of customers.

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In addition to their restoration efforts, Duke Energy is also providing safety guidance for their customers now that the storm has passed. This includes staying away from downed power lines and areas that may be hiding lines such as floodwater and debris. Customers are also advised to look for any damage that may prevent their power from being restored and have a licensed electrician make repairs if needed.

To avoid overloading circuits when power is restored, Duke Energy recommends disconnecting or turning off any nonessential electrical equipment that may start automatically. They also remind customers to only operate generators outside and connect appliances directly to them. Wiring a generator directly to a breaker fuse box can be dangerous as it could backfeed on power lines.

For those using generators, Duke Energy asks that they watch for utility crews and turn off the generator when crews are in the area. The electrical load on the power lines can be hazardous for crews making repairs.

Customers can report outages by texting OUT to 57801, calling 800.228.8485, or reporting online or through the Duke Energy mobile app. The most up-to-date information about restoration efforts can be accessed on Duke Energy's Outage Map or by enrolling in Outage Alerts.

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For more information and resources, customers can visit dukeenergyupdates.com/Florida.

Duke Energy Florida is a subsidiary of Duke Energy and 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 (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Their electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. They collectively own 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Their natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy has set ambitious goals for a clean energy transition with a focus on reliability, affordability and accessibility. They aim to achieve net-zero methane emissions from their 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 technologies such as expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and nuclear.

For more information about Duke Energy's initiatives and progress towards their goals visit duke-energy.com or the Duke Energy News Center. Customers can also follow Duke Energy on Twitter (@DukeEnergy), LinkedIn (@duke-energy), Instagram (@duke_energy) and Facebook (@DukeEnergy) and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering their energy transition.

Media Contact:

Ana Gibbs

24-Hour: 800.559.3853

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