- Approximately 8,000 workers responding to outages
ST.
PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 27,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida is
continuing with power restoration following Hurricane Helene's
landfall. As of 7:30 a.m., the
company's 8,000 workers have restored power for nearly 198,000
customers, while over 402,000 are still experiencing outages.
"Our crews worked through the night to assess the immense damage
caused by Hurricane Helene and get the lights back on where
conditions allowed," said Todd
Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director. "We've made
significant progress over the last 24 hours, but we still have a
lot of work ahead of us. We thank our customers for their patience,
support and ongoing commitment to safety."
Duke Energy focuses on restoring power as safely and quickly as
possible and in a sequence that begins with public health and
safety facilities, while also considering how to impact the
greatest number of customers.
The company also offers the following safety guidance for
customers now that the storm has passed:
- Stay away from downed power lines and areas that may be hiding
lines, such as floodwater and debris.
- Look for damage that may prevent your power from being restored
and have a licensed electrician make repairs if needed.
- Disconnect or turn off any nonessential electrical equipment
that may start automatically when power is restored to avoid
overloading circuits.
- Only operate a generator outside and connect appliances
directly to it.
- Do not wire your generator directly to your breaker fuse box,
as it could backfeed on power lines.
- If you use a generator, 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 hazardous for crews making repairs.
To report an outage, text OUT to 57801, call 800.228.8485 or
report 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.
For more information and resources, please visit
dukeenergyupdates.com/Florida.
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 X, LinkedIn,
Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories
about the people and innovations powering our energy
transition.
Contact: Ana Gibbs
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/duke-energy-continues-with-power-restoration-nearly-198-000-customers-restored-following-hurricane-helenes-landfall-302261030.html
SOURCE Duke Energy