Duke Energy restores power to all storm-affected schools; on schedule to complete restoration to nearly all customers by Tuesday night

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy plans to restore power by midnight Tuesday to 98 percent of all customers affected by the historic ice storm.

As of 6 p.m., about 34,000 customers remain without power. More than 757,000 customer outages have been restored, including all North Carolina schools.

"We've made significant progress in our restoration efforts today," said Jeff Corbett, senior vice president of Duke Energy's Carolinas Delivery Operations. "Our crews remain focused and will continue to work until every customer has their lights back on."

The ice storm blitzed North Carolina's Alamance, Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, Orange, Randolph and Rowan counties. "Our crews remain entrenched in these areas and neighborhoods," Corbett added. "Unfortunately, some outages in the hardest-hit communities will extend to Wednesday.

"We sincerely appreciate our customers' patience as well as the communities', as we battle the storm's aftermath," he said.

An army of 4,400 line and tree personnel from Duke Energy's Florida and Midwest service areas, as well as seven neighboring utilities, are supplementing the efforts of the company's regional workers.

Crews continue to make critical repairs to infrastructure including clearing trees, replacing poles, restringing power lines and replacing transformers and other equipment. As crews complete assignments, they are being deployed to other hard-hit areas to assist with power restoration.

For the most up-to-date information on power outages, Duke Energy offers a map online at www.duke-energy.com/storm. The map includes the number of outages across the state and estimated times of restoration.

Customers who experience an outage should call Duke Energy's automated outage-reporting systems for their respective utility:

• Duke Energy Carolinas: 1-800-POWERON (1-800-769-3766)
• Duke Energy Progress: 1-800-419-6356

Updates are also provided on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DukeEnergyStorm and www.facebook.com/DukeEnergyStorm.

Restoring power

Before power can be restored, crews first assess damage and determine what crews, equipment and supplies will be needed to make repairs. Because of this, customers may see damage assessors patrolling their neighborhoods before crews arrive to begin work.

Follow this link to watch a video to learn more about damage assessment work: http://www.youtube.com/user/DukeEnergyMediaCtr.

Crews prioritize work to ensure the largest number of customers is restored as quickly as possible. Essential services such as hospitals and emergency responders have priority.

If you lose power, please turn off as many appliances and electronics as possible. This will help with restoration efforts as it will reduce the immediate demand on the power lines when power is restored.

Once your power is restored, wait a few minutes before turning your equipment back on.

For a visual explanation of power restoration, go to: http://www.duke-energy.com/pdfs/How-Duke-Energy-Restores-Power.pdf.

Meter-box damage

If a customer's meter box is pulled away from the house and they are without power, the homeowner is responsible for contacting an electrician for a permanent fix. In some instances, an electrical inspection may be required before the company can reconnect service, so it is important to take action now to initiate repairs to avoid delays in restoring power.

If the meter box is pulled away from the house and you have power, customers should call an electrician to re-attach the meter box.

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. 

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SOURCE Duke Energy