- Most customers to be restored by midnight Sunday
- More than 861,000 customers have been restored thus
far
- Restoration times have been posted for all Duke Energy
Florida counties
ST.
PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 1, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida expects to have 90% of its
outages restored by Sunday night as it works to get a vast majority
of customers back on by midnight.
- The current estimated time of restoration (ETR) for 90% of DEF
customers in Pasco and
Pinellas counties is no later than
today at 11:59 p.m.
- The current ETR for 90% of DEF customers in Highlands, Lake, Orange,
Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties is no later than 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2.
Duke Energy has contacted its transmission-served customers with
information about their specific ETR.
"Our crews are working tirelessly to restore power throughout
our Florida territory," said
Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida
state president. "We aim to have the vast majority of our customers
restored by Sunday night. We know there are pockets of hard-hit
areas that will require more extensive work. We are grateful for
the patience of those without power and we will continue to do
everything possible to restore service as quickly as possible."
As of 4 p.m., the company has
restored more than 861,000 customers, with about 171,000 customers
still without power. Duke Energy Florida serves 1.9 million
customers in the state.
Reasons why you may not receive
power by the expected time
Sometimes, customers may see a neighbor's lights come back on
while they are still without power. A few explanations:
- Parts of the neighborhood may be served by different circuits,
and not all circuits come back at the same time.
- There may also be a problem with their individual service line
or their meter.
If your home or business is flooded, Duke Energy cannot
reconnect power until the electrical system has been inspected by a
licensed electrician. If there is damage, an electrician will need
to make repairs and obtain verification from your local building
inspection authority before power can be restored.
If the meter box is pulled away from a customer's house or
mobile home service pole, and power is not being received, the
homeowner is responsible for contacting an electrician to reattach
the meter box and/or provide a permanent fix. 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.
For rooftop solar owners, solar panels don't guarantee power
during an outage since they operate partly using energy from Duke
Energy's grid. Two exceptions are installing an off-grid solar
system or installing a method of energy storage, such as
batteries.
10,000 resources in Florida
Duke Energy has 10,000 workers – power line technicians, damage
assessors and vegetation workers – across Florida restoring power. Many crews were
brought in from other states before the storm.
Localized flooding in some areas has hampered the company's
ability to restore power.
During restoration, workers may not be visible in each impacted
neighborhood, as the first priority is to repair large power lines
and other infrastructure that will return power to the greatest
number of customers as quickly and safely as possible. Click here
for information on how Duke Energy restores power.
Keeping customers
informed
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.
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.
The company also will provide regular updates to customers and
communities through emails, text messages, outbound phone calls,
social media and its website, which includes power outage maps.
Safety recommendations
- Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging.
Consider all lines energized, as well as trees, limbs, fences or
anything in contact with lines.
- If a power line falls across a car that you're in, stay in the
car. If you MUST exit the car due to a fire or other immediate
life-threatening situation, do your best to jump clear of the car
and land on both feet. Be sure that no part of your body is
touching the car when your feet touch the ground.
- A generator can be very useful during a power outage, but
remember to always follow the manufacturer's instructions to ensure
safe and proper operation.
- Please watch for utility crews and turn the generator off when
crews are in your area. The electrical load on the power lines can
be hazardous for crews making repairs.
- Operate your generator outside. Never operate it inside a
building or garage.
- Electric current passes easily through water, so stay away from
downed power lines and electrical wires. Don't drive over – and
don't stand near – downed power lines.
For more tips during and after the storm, visit
duke-energy.com/StormTips.
For company updates, visit dukeenergyupdates.com.
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