Duke Energy crews have restored power to 1.6 million customers impacted by Hurricane Florence in Carolinas

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy crews today continued to restore power to North Carolina and South Carolina customers impacted by Hurricane Florence, particularly in hard-hit coastal and inland counties.

Crews have restored power to 1.6 million customers out of nearly 1.7 million total outages during the storm.

As of 5:30 p.m., 114,000 customers ? most of them in North Carolina ? remained without power. The latest outage numbers can be found here.

Many of the remaining impacted customers are located in coastal and inland areas that experienced historic flooding, multiple road closures and significant structural damage.

Estimated restoration times

Duke Energy expects to restore power to most customers by Sept. 26 at 11:45 p.m. ? but the vast majority will be restored sooner.

See the latest map for estimated power restoration times, by geographical area. Duke Energy will send customers ? via text message ? additional information, including updated restoration times, when available.

The estimated times apply to customers whose homes and businesses did not experience flooding or other damage that might prevent electrical service restoration. Locations impacted by flooding or other damage might require repairs by a licensed electrician and/or inspection by local officials before electric service can be restored.

Drivers asked to use caution near roadside utility crews

North Carolina law requires drivers to move over one lane ? when two or more lanes are available in each direction ? to ensure the safety of roadside utility crews making powerline repairs, as well as ambulances and other emergency responders.

On roads with only one traffic lane in each direction, drivers must slow down and be prepared to stop. Violators could face fines.

Base camps serving as 'mini cities'

Forty staging areas and base camps are serving as critical resource centers from which Duke Energy crews and repair equipment are being deployed to the hardest-hit areas.

The sites operate like mini-cities where crews eat, sleep, refuel trucks and stock up on supplies needed to restore customers' power.

Local updates from company communicators

Duke Energy communicators are posting the latest local information about power restoration at Hurricane Florence Journal: Reports from the field.

The communicators also are posting on Twitter:

Jeff Brooks ? @DE_JeffB

Grace Rountree ? @DE_GraceR

Ana Gibbs ? @DE_AnaGibbs

Chris Rimel ? @ChrisRimel

More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. (NYSE: DUK).

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SOURCE Duke Energy