Duke Energy urges customers in the Carolinas to prepare for potential impacts from Hurricane Ian

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Duke Energy is closely monitoring the approach of Hurricane Ian and preparing for potential impacts in the Carolinas in coming days. The company urges customers to prepare as well.

Company meteorologists are tracking the storm, which has the potential to bring heavy rain, gusty winds and localized flooding to portions of the company’s service area in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Duke Energy prepares for storms throughout the year and has ensured that equipment, supplies and inventories in all areas that could be impacted by Hurricane Ian are available to make necessary repairs and restore power outages.

The company has crews and resources located strategically throughout the Carolinas – near areas that will likely be affected – to respond quickly and safely once the storm passes. If additional assistance is needed, Duke Energy will be able to to draw on other resources across the enterprise.

“Supporting our communities is our top priority and we have thousands of Duke Energy crew members and contractors ready to respond should outages occur,” said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy’s Carolinas storm director.

Line technicians and workers locally are checking equipment, supplies and inventories to ensure adequate materials are available to make repairs and restore power outages.

While the storm is forecast to be weaker after landfall, forecasts still show the potential for very heavy rain and damaging winds that could result in significant power outages. Crews will begin power restoration as soon as conditions are safe to do so. After the storm passes, downed trees and flooding can impact work conditions, making repair work more difficult.

Strengthening the grid to reduce storm impacts

In addition to trimming trees and upgrading wires and wood poles, the company has invested in smart technologies and remote restoration capabilities to help reduce the duration and number of outages, and restore service faster when outages occur.

Duke Energy’s smart, self-healing technology can automatically detect outages and quickly reroute power to speed restoration or avoid outages altogether. So far this year, smart, self-healing technology helped to avoid more than 360,000 extended outages in North Carolina and South Carolina, saving customers more than 1 million hours of lost outage time, more than double the outage time saved in 2021. Over the next few years, Duke Energy expects to install enough self-healing technology on its main power distribution lines to serve most customers.

Safety information

The safety of our customers and communities is important. Duke Energy encourages customers to have a plan in place to respond to an extended power outage after a hurricane or other severe weather. Below are some tips:

Before the storm

• Create (or update) an emergency supply kit to save valuable time later. The kit should include everything an individual or family would need for at least two weeks, especially medicines, water, non-perishable foods and other supplies that might be hard to find after a storm hits.
• Keep a portable radio or TV or a NOAA weather radio on hand to monitor weather forecasts and important information from state and local officials.
• Charge mobile phones, computers and other electronic devices in advance of storms to stay connected to important safety and response information. Consider purchasing portable chargers and make sure they are fully charged as well.
• Maintain a plan to move family members – especially those with special needs – to a safe, alternative location in case an extended power outage occurs, or evacuation is required.

After the storm

• Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging. Consider all lines energized, as well as trees, limbs or anything in contact with lines.
• If a power line falls across a car that you are in, stay in the car. If you MUST get out of the car due to a fire or other immediate life-threatening situation, do your best to jump clear of the car and land on both feet. Be sure that no part of your body is touching the car when your feet touch the ground.

For more tips on how to prepare for storm season, and how Duke Energy can help, please visit duke-energy.com/StormTips.

For storm or power restoration updates, follow Duke Energy on Twitter (@DukeEnergy) and Facebook (Duke Energy). A checklist serves as a helpful guide, but it's critical before, during and after a storm to follow the instructions and warnings of emergency management officials in your area.

Outage reporting

While residents of coastal areas are most at risk of being affected by hurricanes, such storms also can bring damaging high winds and rain inland. Before the storm hits, customers should contact us to make sure their contact information is up to date and their communication preferences are noted, so they receive proactive outreach on the status on a power outage they may experience.

Customers who experience an outage during a storm can report it the following ways:

• Visit duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile device.
• Use the Duke Energy mobile app – Download the Duke Energy App 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.POWERON (800) 769-3766.
• Customer service specialists will be available to manage customer calls should the need arise, with additional corporate responders from across all Duke Energy jurisdictions available to assist as needed.

There is also an interactive outage map where customers can find up-to-date information on power outages, including the total number of outages systemwide and estimated times of restoration.