Duke Energy's Hurricane Helene recovery restores power to more than 1.1 million in South and North Carolina; downed trees, blocked roadways, damaged and destroyed power equipment impeding efforts in the S.C. Upstate region and N.C. mountains

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Sep 29, 2024, 20:01 ET

Approximately 904,000 customers, primarily in the S.C. Upstate and N.C. Mountains, remain without power as of 6 p.m.
Nearly all customers outside of the S.C. Upstate and N.C. mountain regions should have power restored by tonight
Damage assessments in the hardest-hit areas in both South and North Carolina show many areas where the power system is destroyed and must be completely rebuilt before service is restored by Friday

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy restored power to more than 1.1 million Carolinas customers impacted by Helene, less than 48 hours after the storm devastated parts of the region. About 904,000 customers – 508,000 in South Carolina and 396,000 in North Carolina – remain without power. Nearly all these outages are in the western portions of each state.

Nearly all customers outside of upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina should have power restored at some point today. Restoring service to the majority customers in the upstate of South Carolina and the North Carolina mountains is expected by Friday, except for areas that are inaccessible, are dependent on infrastructure that has been destroyed or are unable to receive service.

As crews continue to assess the situation, updates will be provided to customers regarding the status of their power restoration. These are continually updated and can be found on Duke Energy's Outage Maps tool. Customers also can enroll in Outage Alerts to get information about area outages and restoration efforts via text message, voice message or email.

"Based on what we can see on the ground, from helicopter and by drone, there are lots of areas across the South Carolina Upstate and North Carolina mountains where we're going to have to completely rebuild parts of our system, not just repair it," said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy storm director for the Carolinas. "And there are stretches of damage that we still can't even assess due to mudslides, flooding and blocked roads.

"Our teams of lineworkers and other storm responders will continue to work with local and state officials to gain access to the hardest-hit areas so we can do what our customers and communities expect from us – safely and swiftly get their power up and running."

Workforce and restoration updates
Duke Energy strategically positioned lineworkers, tree trimmers and other storm support prior to Helene – and they started responding before the storm even left the region. The company now has 18,000 people working on storm restoration efforts across the Carolinas. These include Duke Energy employees and contractors based in the Carolinas as well as individuals from other electric companies across the United States and Canada.

As of 6 p.m. Sunday, Duke Energy has restored power to more than 1.1 million Carolinas customers impacted by Helene. This includes more than almost 328,000 in South Carolina and 803,000 customers in North Carolina.

Approximately 904,000 customers – 508,000 in South Carolina and 396,000 in North Carolina – remain without power. Nearly all these outages are in the western portions of each state.

South Carolina restoration updates
Transmission infrastructure in Upstate South Carolina, which sends electricity to the distribution lines serving homes and businesses, was severely damaged and, in many cases, destroyed by wind, flooding, fallen trees, and more. Duke Energy is working to repair and rebuild this infrastructure to restore service as quickly and safely as possible.

Duke Energy continues working with state local officials to reach areas where accessibility has been a challenge. Crews are using every resource available – including helicopters, drones and track vehicles – to assess damages and continue restoration.

Grid integrity remained stable throughout the storm, so Duke Energy is ready to continue bringing power back on quickly as damaged and destroyed transmission infrastructure is repaired and restored.

North Carolina restoration updates
Damages to Duke Energy's infrastructure have been severe, including submerged substations, thousands of downed utility poles, and downed transmission towers. Many areas of the North Carolina mountains are inaccessible due to mudslides, flooding and blocked roads, limiting the ability to assess and begin repairing damages. As floodwaters continue to recede and crews can reach additional areas, they will evaluate, repair and rebuild damaged infrastructure and restore additional customers as quickly as possible.

Duke Energy is maintaining its focus 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. Crews worked in partnership with local and state emergency response agencies to assess damage and restore power to Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C.

The company serves more than 4.5 million customers in the Carolinas, including 3.7 million in North Carolina and 835,500 in South Carolina.

Limited access to extensive damage
The storm destroyed numerous electric transmission and distribution facilities, including substations, poles, power lines and other key system components. All of these have been or will need to be replaced, repaired or rebuilt before power can be restored to individual homes and businesses.

Power restoration work in the hardest-hit areas is projected to take several days or longer. Many areas in communities without power remain inaccessible to utility crews due to closed or blocked roadways, downed trees and mudslides.

Power restoration process
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.

There may be times workers must temporarily deenergize power lines during the repair process in order to get all customers in an area restored.

Visit duke-energy.com/Outages/Restoring-Your-Power to learn more about how Duke Energy restores power after major storms.

Flood and meter box damage
Duke Energy cannot reconnect power for customers whose home or business is flooded until the electrical system passes inspection by a licensed electrician. If there is damage, an electrician will need to make repairs and obtain verification from the local building inspection authority before power can be restored.

A property owner with a damaged meter box or one that is pulled away from the structure will need to enlist an electrician to reattach the meter box and/or provide a permanent fix. This is inclusive of customers currently with and without power. In some instances, an electrical inspection may be required by the county before Duke Energy can reconnect service. An electrician can advise customers on next steps.

Generator safety
Customers using power generators should turn off generators if they see utility crews in the area. Excess electricity created by a generator can feed back onto electric lines and lead to severe injuries to line technicians. Additional generator safety information is available at duke-energy.com/outages/generators.

Catawba-Wateree River Basin update
Duke Energy's lakes along the upper and middle Catawba River have reached their highest point and will slowly decline over the next several days. A few lakes near the lower part of the Catawba River may continue to rise, resulting in flooding.

Duke Energy will continue to carefully control flows through our river basins over the next several days. Lake levels will be adjusted lower during this time as they move toward normal lake level targets.

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: 24-Hour: 800.559.3853

SOURCE Duke Energy