Duke Energy Florida offers updates on power restoration in areas hardest hit by Hurricane Helene

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida continues with power restoration in areas hardest hit by Hurricane Helene, including Madison, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

In Madison County, significant damage to the company's electrical infrastructure was caused by falling branches and downed trees. Currently, there are approximately 750 customers without power, while over 8,700 have been restored.

In Pasco County, most infrastructure damage was the result of historic storm surge. Currently, there are approximately 2,700 customers without power, while nearly 68,900 have been restored.

In Pinellas County, which was also impacted by storm surge, there are approximately 9,600 customers currently without power, while about 409,800 have been restored.

These outages do not include the estimated 15,000 customers who appear – based on available information – unable to receive power because of the extensive damage to their homes and businesses.

"All of our customers – every single one – matter to us, regardless of where they're at in the state," said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. "We thank our customers for their continued patience and remind them that we will not stop until we get the lights back on for everyone who is capable of receiving power."

After mobilizing a command center in Madeira Beach yesterday, Monday, Sept. 30, crews have made significant progress in areas of Pinellas County's barrier islands:

North Barrier Island

• The main power lines out to Clearwater Beach were energized
• All of the large hotels on the beach were energized
• Island Estates overhead lines were energized, overhead transformers on the Island were energized and six of the 33 underground transformers were energized
• Condos located east of Clearwater Pass on Gulfview Boulevard were restored (one building had to remain off due to damage in its meter room)

Middle Barrier Island  

• The main power lines from Sand Key to Indian Shores have been energized
• The main power lines from Park Boulevard (Redington Beach) to Treasure Island have been energized
• Condos on north Sand Key have been restored

South Barrier Island

• The main power lines from Pinellas Bayway to Blind's Pass bridge were energized
• Pass-a-Grille and Vina Del Mar were restored

A dedicated webpage, dukeenergyupdates.com/BarrierIslands, has been established to provide the latest information on the Pinellas County's barrier islands.

The most up-to-date information about restoration efforts can be accessed on Duke Energy's Outage Map or by enrolling in Outage Alerts.

Duke Energy Florida 
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.  

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: Ana Gibbs
24-Hour: 800.559.3853 

SOURCE Duke Energy