ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Duke Energy crews and contractors are working throughout the holiday weekend and overnight hours restoring power to Florida customers and responding to 911 assistance calls in the aftermath of Hurricane Hermine.
Their efforts resulted in the restoration of more than 220,000 customers within 48 hours.
Although many will be restored earlier, the goal is to have all customers impacted by the storm, who can receive power, restored before midnight tonight. As of 2 p.m., approximately 5,300 customers were without electricity. More than 99 percent of all Duke Energy customers in Florida have power. The company will continue to work until all isolated outages are restored.
“Our crews and contractors have been working around-the-clock to restore power and respond to emergency assistance calls since the storm passed. We’ve brought in additional resources to speed restoration times,” said Luis Ordaz, Duke Energy Florida storm director. “We appreciate the patience of our customers while we work through the storm damage.”
In flooded areas of Pinellas and Pasco counties, Duke Energy de-energized approximately 250 customers to ensure their safety. Service will be restored when county officials deem it safe to do so.
Customers are encouraged to visit the online outage map at www.duke-energy.com/outagemap or call the Customer Care Center at 800.700.8744 for individual restoration times.
If a customer’s electric service is still out, check with neighbors to see if they have power. If they do, you may have only a blown fuse or tripped a circuit. If the fuse blows or circuit breaker trips again after being reset, you may need assistance from a licensed electrician. Customers who have had damage to electrical equipment on their property may also need an electrician’s assistance.
For storm or power restoration updates, follow Duke Energy on Twitter (@DukeEnergy) and Facebook (Duke Energy).
Duke Energy Florida has invested more than $640 million over the last five years and nearly $1.4 billion since 2004 maintaining and strengthening its energy delivery system. These investments include trimming trees, replacing wood transmission structures with steel or concrete and installing grid automation and Smart Grid devices which help to improve service reliability and reduce both the length and number of outages.
About Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida owns coal-fired and natural gas generation providing about 9,100 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 1.7 million customers in a 13,000-square-mile service area.
With its Florida regional headquarters located in St. Petersburg, Fla., Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.4 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest, representing a population of approximately 24 million people. Its Commercial Portfolio and International business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is an S&P 100 Stock Index company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at www.duke-energy.com.