ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.,
Sept. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- Tonight, more than 99 percent of Irma-related outages will
be restored in the following counties: Bay, Brevard,
Columbia, Dixie, Flagler, Franklin, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Madison, Orange (excluding the northern Orange and Lake
County border), Osceola,
Pasco, Pinellas, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla. We will continue to work on isolated
and scattered outages until all customers are restored.
Duke Energy today said its automated outage management system
(OMS) was returning to service, enabling more accurate restoration
information and assisting in speeding up final restoration work for
outages that exist after nearly 1.3 million customers lost power
from Hurricane Irma.
"To the many people who have given a 'shout out' to our lineman
and expressed their appreciation, we thank you," said Harry Sideris, Duke Energy Florida state
president. "At the same time, we deeply apologize for not meeting
our customers' expectations. They expect and deserve better from
us. Our customers are angry and frustrated that we could not
provide them better information. I want to reassure them that we
have not stopped and will not stop until our customers are
restored."
Losing the automated system in the aftermath of Irma forced the
company to manually track outages and estimate restoration times.
Once the system is reconciled, the company will be able to provide
customers with more detailed information.
With the transition back to the normal outage management system,
the outage numbers may look different as the two systems are
reconciled. Duke Energy has restored nearly 1.6 million outages and
currently has roughly 155,800 outages system wide.
Crews have been out in the field working to restore power to
remaining customers and, as a result of the damage they're seeing
and the extent of the repairs required, estimated times of
restoration have been revised for some areas. We expect to restore
essentially all customers as follows:
- By 11 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 18 – Alachua, Citrus, Hernando, Levy, Marion,
Seminole and Sumter counties.
- By 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19 – The severely impacted
areas of Hardee, Highlands, Lake, Polk
and Volusia counties. Also the
northern Orange and Lake County border due to rebuilding the
electrical system that suffered significant damage in those
areas.
In some cases, service may be delayed in areas impacted by
tornadoes, heavy tree and debris damage, and where a meter or other
customer equipment was damaged and requires repair and an
inspection.
As the OMS system is restored to full functionality, customers
may receive calls from Duke Energy about their outage status as
system data is updated and verified.
If you are still without power, please contact us by:
- Texting OUT to 57801
- Calling Duke Energy's automated outage reporting system –
800.228.8485.
For the latest outage information and other company updates,
visit news.duke-energy.com/irma.
About Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida owns and operates a diverse generation mix,
including renewables, providing about 8,800 megawatts of owned
electric capacity to approximately 1.8 million customers in a
13,000-square-mile service area.
With its Florida regional
headquarters located in St. Petersburg,
Fla., Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power
holding companies in the United
States. Its Electric Utilities and Infrastructure business
unit serves approximately 7.5 million customers located in six
states in the Southeast and Midwest. The company's Gas Utilities
and Infrastructure business unit distributes natural gas to
approximately 1.6 million customers in the Carolinas, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Its Commercial Renewables business
unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across
the United States.
Duke Energy is a Fortune 125 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 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.
Media Relations
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy