Duke Energy crews make significant progress restoring power, hardest hit areas will take several days to restore

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy crews are working to restore power to customers in the Carolinas who lost service Thursday night due to the heavy thunderstorms that moved through the state. Additional crews are being brought in to support the restoration effort.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130322/CL81938LOGO )

Thursday's abrupt and powerful storm interrupted service to more than 350,000 customers at its peak with a total of approximately 694,000 customers affected during the entire event. Approximately 138,000 customers remain without power.

In the hardest hit counties, the damage to the electrical system is described as extremely severe. Portions will require rebuilding before power can be restored. Customers in those areas should prepare for a multi-day outage, with estimated restoration by Sunday night. However, most customers will be restored before then.

For the best information, customers should call the numbers listed below and enter their account number.

"We appreciate our customers' patience as our crews continue to make extensive and complicated repairs across the system," said Jeff Corbett, senior vice president, Duke Energy Carolinas Distribution. "More than 3,000 line crews are involved in the restoration effort, working  to get the lights back on. We understand the inconvenience associated with power outages and are committed to restoring service as quickly and safely as possible for our customers."

Today, the company updated the estimated times of restoration, which indicate when the majority of outages will be restored in a specific area. Many customers will have their service restored sooner than the estimates. However, certain scattered, isolated outages may remain.

Estimated Times of Restoration for the hardest hit counties: 

Storm restoration process
Duke Energy focuses on restoration efforts in the following sequence, many of which occur simultaneously. This sequence enables power restoration to public health and safety facilities and to the greatest number of locations in the shortest length of time:

• Public safety related situations (such as de-energizing live lines);
• Emergency service facilities (hospitals, law enforcement, fire departments);
• Critical infrastructure (water and sewer facilities);Distribution feeders and subfeeders, the "backbone" of the power delivery system;
• Distribution tap lines, which connect the backbone to individual locations (neighborhood lines); and
• Distribution transformers and individual service lines.

Outage Information
Outage maps for the Carolinas are located on http://www.duke-energy.com/news/outage-information.asp.

For a total outage picture, be sure to view all the following maps: Duke Energy North Carolina, Duke Energy South Carolina and Duke Energy Progress.

Anyone without power who has special needs or who relies on electric-powered life support equipment should consider finding alternative living arrangements until power can be restored.

Customers should continue to report outages through Duke Energy's automated phone systems:

• Duke Energy – 800-769-3766 (800-PowerOn)
• Duke Energy Progress (North and South Carolina) – 800-419-6356

Using these automated systems is the quickest and easiest way for customers to report their outages. By entering a phone number or Duke Energy account number, the customer's outage will be recorded in the company's system and included in restoration plans. Customers can continue to use these resources to get up-to-date information about their outages once restoration times are determined.

Customers can also follow Duke Energy on Twitter and Facebook for current updates.

• Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/DukeEnergyStorm
• Facebook - www.facebook.com/ProgressEnergyCarolinas
• Twitter - http://twitter.com/DukeEnergyStorm
• Twitter - www.twitter.com/ProgEnergyNC_SC

Photos of the storm restoration effort can be seen at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dukeenergy/sets/72157634121568801/

Safety 
Safety remains critically important during restoration efforts. Avoid downed power lines. They should be considered energized and dangerous. Please call 911 and Duke Energy to report downed lines.

On the roads, please slow down or move over if you see Duke Energy crews or emergency management crews working along the side the road. Help make sure the employees  working to restore power finish the job and get home to their families safely. 

Safety near work zones
As restoration efforts continue, motorists are likely to see utility crews working on roadways across the region. In North Carolina, the law requires drivers to move over or slow down for electric utility vehicles with flashing yellow lights responding to emergency situations. For more information on the Move Over Law, go to http://www.duke-energy.com/news/releases/2010113001.asp .

Generator safety
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. To protect yourself and your family, or your business, remember to follow these rules.

Always:

• Have a licensed electrician install stationary or stand-by emergency generators.
• Plug appliances directly into an emergency or portable generator. This is the safest way to use a generator. We don't recommend connection of a generator directly to a breaker panel, fuse box or meter box.
• Obey all local, state and national electrical and fire codes.
• Store gasoline in approved fuel containers and out of children's reach.
• Keep children away from generators.
• Have a fully charged, properly rated fire extinguisher (i.e., rated for electrical and gas fires) ready at all times.

And, remember to:

• Never connect generators to your utility service through receptacles, outlets, breakers, fuses or meter boxes.
• Never replenish fuel in a generator while it is running.
• Call an electrician to repair a generator; never attempt to repair it yourself.
• Operate your generator outside. Never operate it inside a building or garage.

Safety on the Lake
Boaters should exercise extra caution and remain vigilant while boating on Carolinas lakes as heavy rainfall amounts may have pushed debris into the water.

Duke Energy Carolinas owns nuclear, coal-fired, natural gas and hydroelectric generation. That diverse fuel mix provides approximately 20,000 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 2.4 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area of North Carolina and South Carolina.

Duke Energy Progress, a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), provides electricity and related services to nearly 1.5 million customers in North Carolina and South Carolina. The company is headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and serves a territory encompassing more than 34,000 square miles including the cities of Raleigh, Wilmington and Asheville in North Carolina and Florence and Sumter in South Carolina. More information is available at www.progress-energy.com.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com. 

24-Hour Media Line: 800.559.3853
Please follow @dukeenergystorm for live updates

SOURCE Duke Energy