CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy has restored power to 180,000 customers in North Carolina and South Carolina following Tropical Storm Michael.

  • 490,000 customers remain without power in the Carolinas as of 6:30 p.m. ET.
  • Additional outages are expected as the storm continues to roll through eastern North Carolina tonight.
  • The company will provide estimated power restoration times once field crews complete damage assessments, which could take up to 24 hours.
  • Some outages could take several days to repair.
  • Latest outage numbers can be found here.
  • 6,000 workers – including power line technicians, damage assessors and tree specialists – are responding to the storm's impact in the Carolinas.
  • Additional repair crews from Florida and the Midwest are traveling to the Carolinas to assist.  
  • For the latest storm or power restoration updates, visit https://www.dukeenergyupdates.com/michael/carolinas – or follow Duke Energy on Twitter (@DukeEnergy) and Facebook (Duke Energy).

Power line safety

  • Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging.
  • Consider all power lines – as well as trees, limbs and anything else in contact with power lines – energized and dangerous.
  • If a power line falls across a car that you're 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.
  • Click here for a video about power line safety.

High-water safety

  • People who live along lakes and rivers, and in other areas prone to flooding, should pay close attention to state and local emergency management officials, the National Weather Service and local media for information about rising river and lake levels.
  • Duke Energy is adjusting operations at its hydro-electric power plants, located on rivers and lakes, to accommodate additional water flow from recent rainfall.

(NYSE: DUK)

24-Hour: 800.559.3853

Cision View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/duke-energy-restores-power-to-180-000-customers-in-carolinas-following-tropical-storm-michael-300729996.html

SOURCE Duke Energy