CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's mild, sunny weather can't erase the damage done by a ferocious storm that left more than 350,000 customers without power in the Carolinas at the height of the storm.
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Several thousand Duke Energy and supplemental crews worked throughout the night assessing damage and began restoration work for the remaining 200,000 customers still without power after heavy wind and rain thundered through the Carolinas yesterday.
The hardest hit counties included Wake, Forsyth, Mecklenburg, Johnston, Moore, Guilford, Lee and Rockingham.
Damage from the storm was described as extremely severe in many areas. Trees were uprooted, poles snapped and power lines knocked to the ground. In the hardest hit areas, portions of the electrical system will require rebuilding before power can be restored.
Customers in the hardest hit areas should prepare for a multi-day outage, with estimated restoration by Sunday night. Most customers will be restored before then. For the best information, customers should call the numbers listed below and enter their account number.
Outage maps for the Carolinas are located on http://www.duke-energy.com/news/outage-information.asp.
For a total outage picture, be sure to view all the following maps: Duke Energy North Carolina, Duke Energy South Carolina and Duke Energy Progress.
Additional crews from Duke Energy's other service territories, as well as outside agencies, are assisting in the restoration.
Anyone without power who has special needs or who relies on electric-powered life support equipment should consider finding alternative living arrangements until power can be restored.
Customers should continue to report outages through Duke Energy's automated phone systems:
- Duke Energy – 800-769-3766 (800-PowerOn)
- Duke Energy Progress (North and South Carolina) – 800-419-6356
Using these automated systems is the quickest and easiest way for customers to report their outages. By entering a phone number or Duke Energy account number, the customer's outage will be recorded in the company's system and included in restoration plans. Customers can continue to use these resources to get up-to-date information about their outages once restoration times are determined.
Customers can also follow Duke Energy on Twitter and Facebook for current updates.
Safety
Safety remains critically important during restoration efforts. Avoid downed power lines. They should be considered energized and dangerous. Please call 911 and Duke Energy to report downed lines.
On the roads, please slow down or move over if you see Duke Energy crews or emergency management crews working along the side the road. Help make sure the folks working to restore power finish the job and get home to their families safely.
Duke Energy Carolinas owns nuclear, coal-fired, natural gas and hydroelectric generation. That diverse fuel mix provides approximately 20,000 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 2.4 million customers in a 24,000-square-mile service area of North Carolina and South Carolina.
Duke Energy Progress, a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), provides electricity and related services to nearly 1.5 million customers in North Carolina and South Carolina. The company is headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and serves a territory encompassing more than 34,000 square miles including the cities of Raleigh, Wilmington and Asheville in North Carolina and Florence and Sumter in South Carolina. More information is available at www.progress-energy.com.
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.
24-Hour Media Line: 800.559.3853
Please follow @dukeenergystorm for live updates
SOURCE Duke Energy