CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Less than
30,000 power outages remain Friday as Duke Energy crews continue to
restore power to the roughly 1.5 million customers affected by
Hurricane Matthew.
Except in flooded areas, remaining customers should have power
restored by Saturday night. However, it could be days or weeks
before about 13,000 customers in flooded areas are fully restored
since power restoration crews have been unable to access damaged
electrical lines and equipment.
"We are entering a new phase in restoring power - one that will
be dictated by events out of our control. But we will continue
working just as hard," said Bobby
Simpson, who is overseeing Duke Energy's restoration
efforts. "We are in this for the long haul. We have the personnel
and equipment, and we will be in these communities until every last
customer who can receive power has power."
Among the most flooded areas: Clinton, Goldsboro, Kinston and Lumberton in North
Carolina; and Florence,
Hartsville and Marion in South
Carolina.
"Our commitment is steadfast for staying engaged with our
customers in flooded communities," he added. "We are working with
state and local officials in developing plans to restore service as
safety and quickly as possible once waters recede and homes are
habitable."
Although nearly 1.5 million customers were affected, the peak
time for outages was Sunday morning Oct.
9 at 680,000 outages.
In terms of outages, Hurricane Matthew is the fifth-worst storm
to hit the combined Duke Energy Carolinas/Duke Energy Progress
service area – with damage similar in scale and severity to past
storms such as Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and Hurricane Hugo in
1989.
Thursday, Duke Energy donated $325,000 to help seven charities
providing disaster relief assistance in several of the states it
serves – North Carolina,
South Carolina and Florida.
Meter-box damage
Customers whose homes have damaged meter boxes will need to get
them repaired and inspected to avoid delays in restoration. Here's
a video explaining meter-box damage.
If a customer's meter box is pulled away from the house, and the
house is without power, the homeowner is responsible for contacting
an electrician for a permanent fix. An electrical inspection may be
required before Duke Energy can reconnect service.
If the meter box is pulled away from the house and the house
still has power, the customer should call an electrician to
re-attach the meter box.
If your residence or business is flooded, a local building
inspector may need to inspect the structure before power can be
reconnected.
Safety
Duke Energy urges everyone to be safe during this challenging
time. Please follow these important tips:
- Anyone encountering electrical equipment after a storm, whether
it is a downed power line, a substation or a solar site, should
take extreme caution and assume that the equipment is energized --
especially do not go near electrical equipment when it is immersed
in standing water.
- Power lines can be hidden by debris and standing water so
please be extremely careful moving around in damaged or flooded
areas.
- "Move Over and Slow Down" Law: The "move over" law requires
drivers to move over one lane when two or more lanes are available
in each direction to make way for emergency responders, tow trucks,
DOT incident management assistance patrols and roadside work crews,
such as utility crews. On roads with only one traffic lane in each
direction, drivers must slow down and be prepared to stop.
Violators could face fines.
About Duke Energy
Duke Energy, one of the largest
electric power holding companies in the
United States, supplies and delivers electricity to
approximately 7.4 million customers in the Southeast and Midwest,
representing a population of approximately 24 million people. The
company also distributes natural gas to more than 1.5 million
customers in the Carolinas, Ohio,
Kentucky and Tennessee. Its commercial and international
businesses operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing renewable
energy portfolio.
Headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., Duke Energy is an S&P 100 Stock Index company
traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More
information about the company is available at
duke-energy.com.
The Duke Energy News Center serves as a multimedia resource for
journalists and features news releases, helpful links, photos and
videos. Hosted by Duke Energy, illumination is an online
destination for stories about remarkable people, innovations, and
community and environmental topics. It also offers glimpses into
the past and insights into the future of energy.
Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and
Facebook.
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SOURCE Duke Energy