Duke Energy makes 1,200 line workers available to help restore power in Hurricane Sandy's aftermath

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), the nation's largest electric utility, today made 1,200 line workers available to help other utilities restore power in Hurricane Sandy's aftermath.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20040414/DUKEENERGYLOGO )

Most of the workers are contractors who normally work in the service areas of Duke Energy and Progress Energy.

The company said it will make additional crews available later in the week after the storm passes through its service areas, which include parts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Florida.

Many of the contract workers released for service today are based in Florida, which have experienced no major impacts from the storm. Some additional crews have been released from parts of Indiana that are not expected to be affected.

Line workers directly employed by Duke Energy and Progress Energy will remain in the company's service areas to handle existing and potential outages in those locations.

"We continue to monitor and respond to the ongoing effects of Hurricane Sandy," said Lloyd Yates, Duke Energy's executive vice president for customer operations. "Our ability to respond to storms is even stronger due to the merger of Duke Energy and Progress Energy, so once the storm clears our system, we'll be able to quickly deploy additional workers to assist other utilities as part of our mutual assistance agreements."

Duke Energy subsidiaries Progress Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Carolinas worked to restore outages over the weekend as Hurricane Sandy grazed the North Carolina coast and western mountains. The company is expecting high winds and snow in the North Carolina mountains, which could cause additional outages. High-wind advisories are in place in many Duke Energy service areas in the Midwest, as well.

Outage Reporting
Customers who experience an outage during the storm should call the automated outage-reporting system for their respective utility:

• Duke Energy Carolinas: 1-800-POWERON (1-800-769-3766)
• Progress Energy Carolinas: 1-800-419-6356
• Progress Energy Florida: 1-800-228-8485
• Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky- 1-800-543-5599
• Duke Energy Indiana-1-800-343-3525

Progress Energy customers may also report outages online using their smart phone at m.progress-energy.com. Customers are advised to register their account prior to the storm in order to report outages online or from a mobile device.

Duke Energy utilities will also use social media channels to keep customers informed should significant outages occur as a result of the storm:

• Progress Energy Florida on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ProgEnergyFL
• Progress Energy Florida on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgressEnergyFlorida
• Progress Energy Carolinas on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ProgEnergyNC_SC
• Progress Energy Carolinas on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgressEnergyCarolinas
• Duke Energy on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DukeEnergyStorm
• Duke Energy on Facebook: www.facebook.com/DukeEnergyStorm

Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States with more than $100 billion in total assets. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.1 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest. Its commercial power and international business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.

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.

SOURCE Duke Energy