CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy is on track to restore power to 98 percent of storm-affected customers by midnight, after the third largest ice storm bowled through the Carolinas. Customer outages peaked at 414,000 on Friday.
"We can't thank the community and our customers enough for their patience and support after this historic storm," said Jeff Corbett, senior vice president of Duke Energy's Carolinas Delivery Operations. "The outpouring of compassion and kindness our customers have shown our line workers has been tremendous and they appreciate knowing the community cares."
More than 4,400 resources have supported restoration efforts including personnel from the company's Midwest and Florida operations and neighboring utilities.
As of 4 p.m., more than 797,000 customer outages have been restored.
While the majority of ice storm outages will be repaired today, work will continue in Alamance, Guilford and Randolph counties due to extensive damage. Power will be restored to these customers by Wednesday evening.
"As crews continue to complete restorations, our team of meteorologists is monitoring another storm system scheduled to move across the Carolinas on Wednesday," said Corbett. "The storm has the potential to produce high winds that could slow our efforts. Our employees are unable to safely climb power poles or work from extended buckets at wind speeds exceeding 30 mph."
Meter-box damage
Customers who have damaged meter boxes should get them repaired now to avoid delays in restoration. A video explaining meter-box damage is available at http://youtu.be/q_Qq7dzz1vQ.
If a customer's meter box is pulled away from the house and the house is without power, the homeowner is responsible for contacting an electrician for a permanent fix. An electrical inspection may be required before the company can reconnect service.
If the meter box is pulled away from the house and the house still has power, the customer should call an electrician to re-attach the meter box.
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.
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