CHARLOTTE, N.C., Feb. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy has restored more than 400,000 customer outages since this week's winter storm hit the Carolinas.
Thousands of personnel remain focused on the hardest hit areas and will continue to work until all outages have been restored.
"Our crews have been working diligently to restore power as safely and quickly as possible, despite extensive damage in our service areas," said Brett Carter, senior vice president of Duke Energy's Carolinas delivery operations. "We're deeply grateful for the patience of hundreds of thousands of our customers as they dealt with the storm's aftermath."
While the majority of winter storm outages have been repaired, several thousand power outages remain in Nash and Wake counties due to extensive damage.
In order to restore many of these outages, work such as clearing trees, replacing poles and restringing power lines has been required, which has taken a considerable amount of time to complete. Scattered, isolated outages may remain beyond today.
The Duke Energy Foundation today announced a $25,000 donation to the American Red Cross serving the Triangle area and surrounding communities affected by this week's winter storm. The Red Cross opened shelters to provide relief to displaced families.
"We're extremely thankful to Duke Energy for its generous support of our winter storm response around the state of North Carolina and in the Triangle," said Barry Porter, regional executive for the Red Cross of Eastern North Carolina. "Duke Energy consistently steps up to help those affected, by supporting the work that we do to provide a warm, safe place for families in crisis."
Duke Energy encourages customers to get an update on their specific outage by viewing the current outage map on duke-energy.com, calling Duke Energy or opting in to receive a text message.
Duke Energy also provides updates on its social media channels to keep customers informed about outages.
For videos and additional information about how Duke Energy prepares for severe weather events and responds to power outages, visit duke-energy.com, and click "Weathering the storm."
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
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130322/CL81938LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/duke-energy-nears-completion-of-outage-restoration-in-carolinas-300043062.html
SOURCE Duke Energy