Duke Energy Florida crews restore nearly 300,000 customers; aim for full restoration tonight

- More than 95 percent of customer outages restored

- Approximately 8,500 customers still without power, mostly in hardest hit Volusia county

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Oct 10, 2016, 03:06 ET

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 3,500 Duke Energy linemen, contractors and support staff worked 16-hour days throughout the weekend restoring power to Florida customers and responding to 911 assistance calls in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

Their efforts resulted in the restoration of nearly 300,000 customers in less than 72 hours since the storm exited the company's service territory. As of 2 p.m., approximately 8,500 customers were without electricity, mostly in areas of Volusia County where the electric system was severely impacted.

Electrical service was restored to customers in Orange and Seminole counties, and the majority of Lake and Volusia County by midnight Sunday night. Other storm impacted customers were restored earlier.

The goal is to have all customers impacted by the storm, who can receive power, restored before midnight tonight. Crews will continue to work until all service is restored.

Unfortunately, service may be delayed for some customers where a meter or other customer equipment is damaged and requires repair and an inspection.

The peak number of outages was at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7, with 165,000 customers without power as the storm crawled up the Florida coast.

"As our crews and contractors work to restore power to the last of our Florida customers who were affected by Hurricane Matthew, I'd like to express my appreciation for the patience and understanding our customers have shown," said Luis Ordaz, Duke Energy Florida storm director. "Despite challenges our crews sometimes encounter during the process, we always work as quickly and as safely as possible to restore power following storm damage."

Duke Energy Florida is developing plans to release line and vegetation management crews so they can respond to the massive devastation Hurricane Matthew left behind in the Carolinas.

As crews work individual outages, Duke Energy Florida will be able to provide updated restoration information. Please check www.duke-energy.com\outagemap or text STATUS to 57801 for updates as they become available. Customers may also call the Customer Care Center at 800.700.8744 for individual restoration times.

If your electric service is out and your neighbors have power, you may have a blown fuse or tripped a circuit at your home. If the fuse blows or circuit breaker trips again after being reset, you may need assistance from a licensed electrician. Customers who have had damage to electrical equipment on their property may also need an electrician's assistance.

For storm or power restoration updates, follow Duke Energy on Twitter (@DukeEnergy) and Facebook (Duke Energy).

Duke Energy Florida has invested more than $640 million over the last five years and nearly $1.4 billion since 2004 maintaining and strengthening its energy delivery system. These investments include trimming trees, replacing wood transmission structures with steel or concrete and installing grid automation and Smart Grid devices which help to improve service reliability and reduce both the length and number of outages.

About Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida owns and operates a diverse generation mix, including renewables, providing about 9,000 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 1.7 million customers in a 13,000-square-mile service area.

With its Florida regional headquarters located in St. Petersburg, Fla., Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States. It supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 7.4 million customers in the Southeast and Midwest, representing a population of approximately 24 million people. The company also distributes natural gas to more than 1.5 million customers in the Carolinas, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Its commercial and international businesses operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing renewable energy portfolio.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is an S&P 100 Stock Index company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.

The Duke Energy News Center serves as a multimedia resource for journalists and features news releases, helpful links, photos and videos. Hosted by Duke Energy, illumination is an online destination for stories about remarkable people, innovations, and community and environmental topics. It also offers glimpses into the past and insights into the future of energy.

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SOURCE Duke Energy