Duke Energy staging thousands of personnel ready to respond to Hurricane Ian power outages

Rhea-AI Summary

Duke Energy is preparing for Hurricane Ian's impact on Florida's west coast by mobilizing nearly 10,000 personnel, including lineworkers and tree professionals, to restore power swiftly. As the storm approaches, the company emphasizes customer safety and advises residents to prepare for potential extended power outages. Duke Energy's strategy includes staging resources for rapid response and prioritizing public health and safety facilities during power restoration. With effective monitoring and communication, Duke Energy aims to mitigate storm impacts on its service areas.

Positive

• Mobilizing nearly 10,000 lineworkers and support personnel for storm response.
• Proactive approach to minimize storm impact and ensure customer safety.
• Commitment to restoring power safely and quickly.

Negative

• Potential for extended power outages due to storm impacts.

• Company has nearly 10,000 resources at the ready to restore power after the storm
• Customers should prepare for the potential of extended power outages

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With Hurricane Ian's imminent landfall expected along Florida's west coast, Duke Energy is increasing the number of resources coming to Florida and urging customers to take steps to prepare for power outages.

"At Duke Energy, we do all we can to minimize the impact of storms and ensure the safety of our customers, communities and crews," said Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director. "We are actively monitoring Ian's path, intensity and timing, and we're bringing in additional resources from our Midwest territory and mutual assistance programs to restore power as conditions allow."

Duke Energy is initially mobilizing nearly 10,000 lineworkers, tree professionals, damage assessment and support personnel to safe locations in its Florida service areas. They will be prepared to respond to outages once it is safe to do so.

Additional line workers and support personnel from Duke Energy's service territories in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio will arrive throughout the day, along with help from mutual assistance organizations. Placing crews near areas that will likely be affected by this system allows for the quickest and safest response after a storm passes through.

Duke Energy meteorologists are continuing to track the storm and we will continue to make adjustments to those resources as the storm approaches.

In addition to making safety a priority, customers should also prepare for extended power outages. Despite extensive system improvements and rigorous tree trimming, strong winds, wind-blown debris and flooding can cause power outages. When outages occur, Duke Energy is committed to restoring power as safely and quickly as possible, while keeping customers informed throughout the process.

Power restoration process

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.

As restoration begins, workers may not be visible in each impacted neighborhood, as the first priority is to repair large power lines and other infrastructure. Click here for information on how Duke Energy restores power.

Outage reporting and status updates

Customers who experience a power outage can report it the following ways:

• Visit duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile device.
• Use the Duke Energy mobile app – Download the Duke Energy App from a smartphone via Apple Store or Google Play.
• Text OUT to 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply).
• Call the automated outage-reporting system, at: 800.228.8485.
• Customer service specialists will be available to manage customer calls should the need arise, with more than 1,500 additional corporate responders from across all Duke Energy jurisdictions available to assist as needed.

There is also an interactive outage map where customers can find up-to-date information on power outages, including the total number of outages systemwide and estimated times of restoration.

Customers should stay tuned to local news for the latest advisories from the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center (NHC), as well as state and local emergency management officials.

For a hurricane kit checklist and important safety information, visit ready.gov. In addition, tips on what to do before, during and after a storm can be found in the Storm Center at duke-energy.com/StormTips.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 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. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business and at least a 50% carbon reduction from electric generation by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The 2050 net-zero goals also include Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 emissions. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Audrey Stasko
Cell: 315.877.3031
Media line: 800.559.3853
Twitter: @DE_AudreyS

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SOURCE Duke Energy

FAQ

What is Duke Energy doing in preparation for Hurricane Ian?

Duke Energy is mobilizing nearly 10,000 personnel to restore power in Florida as Hurricane Ian approaches.

How many personnel is Duke Energy staging for Hurricane Ian?

Duke Energy is staging nearly 10,000 personnel, including lineworkers and support staff, for storm recovery efforts.

What should customers do to prepare for power outages during Hurricane Ian?

Customers are advised to prepare for potential extended power outages due to the storm's impact.

How does Duke Energy prioritize power restoration after a storm?

Duke Energy focuses on restoring power to public health and safety facilities first, followed by restoring power to the greatest number of customers.

What resources are available for reporting outages at Duke Energy?

Customers can report outages via the Duke Energy website, mobile app, text messaging service, or by calling their automated outage-reporting system.