- The company will issue estimated times of restoration for
all customers impacted by the storm this afternoon
ST.
PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 11,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- While damage assessment is
ongoing, Duke Energy Florida is now beginning power restoration in
many areas impacted by Hurricane Milton and will issue estimated
times of restoration for all customers later this afternoon. As of
9 a.m. ET, nearly 350,000 outages
have been restored, and over 850,000 outages still exist throughout
the company's service territory.
"From downed trees and branches falling on our power lines to
storm surge flooding our equipment – which causes almost immediate
corrosion – our infrastructure was severely damaged by Hurricane
Milton. We're making repairs where we can, but we anticipate we
will need to rebuild in many areas," said Todd Fountain, Duke
Energy Florida storm director. "Despite that, our crews are doing
all they can, even working through the night, to get the lights
back on for as many customers as possible as quickly as
possible."
Duke Energy Florida has 16,000 resources supporting power
restoration. Crews are staged at base camps in areas hardest hit by
the storm:
- Bexley Properties (Land O'
Lakes)
- Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport
- Manheim Orlando (Winter
Garden)
- Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers
- Sebring Raceway
- Seminole Towne Center
- Tropicana Field
- The Villages
For customers who are using a generator, Duke Energy Florida
offers the following safety tips:
- Only operate a generator outside and connect appliances
directly to it.
- Do not wire your generator directly to your breaker fuse box,
as it could backfeed on power lines.
- Please watch for utility crews and turn the generator off when
crews are in your area. The electrical load on the power lines can
be hazardous for those making repairs.
- Have a fully charged, properly rated fire extinguisher (i.e.,
rated for electrical and gas fires) ready at all times.
Customers can report power outages four different ways:
- Visit duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile
device.
- Use the Duke Energy mobile app (download 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.
Additionally, customers who cannot receive power as a result of
damage to the property's meter base, breaker panel or
customer-owned electrical wiring should contact their local
municipalities for guidance. Inspections may be required after
repairs are complete.
The most up-to-date information about power outages can be
accessed on Duke Energy's Outage Map or by enrolling
in Outage Alerts.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary
of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying
electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial
customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in
Florida.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150
company headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies.
The company's electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky, and collectively own
54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities
serve 1.7 million customers in North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition,
keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the
forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions
from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions
from electricity generation by 2050. The company is investing in
major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including
expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and
nuclear.
More information is available at duke-energy.com and the
Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy
on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for
stories about the people and innovations powering our energy
transition.
Editor's note: Visit the Duke Energy News
Center for downloadable
B-roll and high-resolution
images.
Contact: Ana Gibbs
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy