Duke Energy continues rebuild of power infrastructure following Hurricane Helene

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Oct 04, 2024, 15:21 ET

More than 2.16 million customers restored in the Carolinas – approximately 85,000 since 4 p.m. yesterday.
334,000 customers are still without service in Upstate South Carolina and mountains of North Carolina.
Some left without power may be unable to receive power due to loss or destruction of their homes or businesses.
Company is using drones and helicopters to inspect for additional damage, locate equipment in hard-to-reach communities.

Editor's note: Visit the Duke Energy News Center for storm director videos, downloadable B-roll and high-resolution images.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 2.16 million customers have been restored in the Carolinas as of 2:30 p.m. About 167,000 in Upstate South Carolina are still without service while about 167,000 in the mountains of North Carolina remain without power.

Since 4 p.m. ET Thursday, approximately 85,000 customer outages have been restored in the Carolinas. The company continues to make progress restoring customers who can receive power and will provide individual times of restoration to those customers without power as soon as they are available. Some customers may be unable to receive power due to loss or destruction of their homes or businesses.

The company is using helicopters to move power poles into the hardest-hit areas so that needed equipment is in place to restore power as soon as it is safe to do so. The company is also flying drones and helicopters and dispersing damage assessment crews across the system in search of any additional threats, like leaning trees and washed-out equipment, which could further damage the system or inhibit ongoing repairs and restorations.

"In the face of the extraordinary damage and destruction caused by Hurricane Helene, our communities have shown exceptional resiliency," said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy's storm director for the Carolinas. "Duke Energy will be with the communities we serve every step of the way as they recover."

South Carolina
In upstate South Carolina, the company is prioritizing restoration of schools, medical facilities, water and sewer facilities as well as customers who have special medical needs. The company is still on track to restore nearly all customers in upstate South Carolina by Sunday.

North Carolina
In Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, northern McDowell, Mitchell and Rutherford counties in North Carolina, Duke Energy is focused on rebuilding the backbone of its electrical infrastructure that was damaged by high winds and significant flooding from Hurricane Helene. This work includes installing new transformers, main power lines and the infrastructure needed to provide power to customers when they are ready for service.

Restoration of service may be extended in particular areas where catastrophic damage has occurred to electrical infrastructure, roads/bridges or both. We will continue to work alongside government agencies to coordinate access and restoration efforts in these areas.

Damage to Customer Property

If your home or business is flooded or damaged, an electrician will need to make necessary repairs and obtain verification from your local building inspection authority before power can be restored.
If the meter box is pulled away from your house or mobile home service pole and you have no power, the homeowner is responsible for contacting an electrician to reattach the meter box and/or provide a permanent fix.

We'll continue to communicate with customers via email, text and outbound call as their site-specific details become available. Customers can also visit dukeenergyupdates.com for the latest updates on their outage.

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.

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SOURCE Duke Energy