Duke Energy staging thousands of personnel ready to respond to Hurricane Ian power outages

• Company has nearly 10,000 resources at the ready to restore power after the storm
• Customers should prepare for the potential of extended power outages

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With Hurricane Ian's imminent landfall expected along Florida's west coast, Duke Energy is increasing the number of resources coming to Florida and urging customers to take steps to prepare for power outages.

"At Duke Energy, we do all we can to minimize the impact of storms and ensure the safety of our customers, communities and crews," said Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director. "We are actively monitoring Ian's path, intensity and timing, and we're bringing in additional resources from our Midwest territory and mutual assistance programs to restore power as conditions allow."

Duke Energy is initially mobilizing nearly 10,000 lineworkers, tree professionals, damage assessment and support personnel to safe locations in its Florida service areas. They will be prepared to respond to outages once it is safe to do so.

Additional line workers and support personnel from Duke Energy's service territories in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio will arrive throughout the day, along with help from mutual assistance organizations. Placing crews near areas that will likely be affected by this system allows for the quickest and safest response after a storm passes through.

Duke Energy meteorologists are continuing to track the storm and we will continue to make adjustments to those resources as the storm approaches.

In addition to making safety a priority, customers should also prepare for extended power outages. Despite extensive system improvements and rigorous tree trimming, strong winds, wind-blown debris and flooding can cause power outages. When outages occur, Duke Energy is committed to restoring power as safely and quickly as possible, while keeping customers informed throughout the process.

Power restoration process

Duke Energy focuses on restoring power in a sequence that enables power restoration to public health and safety facilities and to the greatest number of customers as safely and quickly as possible.

As restoration begins, workers may not be visible in each impacted neighborhood, as the first priority is to repair large power lines and other infrastructure. Click here for information on how Duke Energy restores power.

Outage reporting and status updates

Customers who experience a power outage can report it the following ways:

• Visit duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile device.
• Use the Duke Energy mobile app – Download the Duke Energy App from a smartphone via Apple Store or Google Play.
• Text OUT to 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply).
• Call the automated outage-reporting system, at: 800.228.8485.
• Customer service specialists will be available to manage customer calls should the need arise, with more than 1,500 additional corporate responders from across all Duke Energy jurisdictions available to assist as needed.

There is also an interactive outage map where customers can find up-to-date information on power outages, including the total number of outages systemwide and estimated times of restoration.

Customers should stay tuned to local news for the latest advisories from the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center (NHC), as well as state and local emergency management officials.

For a hurricane kit checklist and important safety information, visit ready.gov. In addition, tips on what to do before, during and after a storm can be found in the Storm Center at duke-energy.com/StormTips.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business and at least a 50% carbon reduction from electric generation by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The 2050 net-zero goals also include Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 emissions. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Audrey Stasko
Cell: 315.877.3031
Media line: 800.559.3853
Twitter: @DE_AudreyS

SOURCE Duke Energy