More than 900,000 customers restored as Duke Energy Florida outages stand at 77,000 on Sunday afternoon

• Focus turning to neighborhoods in hardest-hit areas
• 90% of customers in all counties to be restored by midnight
• Isolated damage still hampering restoration in some areas

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida continues to make major progress as it works to restore power to all customers in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

"Duke Energy Florida continues to press ahead and restore outages throughout our territory. Our customers have been patient, but they are anxious to have power restored," said Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director. "There are hard-hit areas that will require more extensive work. But we are not stopping until all customers are restored."

The estimated time of restoration (ETR) for the company's hardest-hit counties has not changed:

• The current ETR for 90% of DEF customers in Highlands, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties is no later than 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2.

As of 2 p.m., the company had restored more than 930,000 customers, with 77,000 customers still without power. Duke Energy Florida serves 1.9 million customers in the state.

Fountain added that while greatly improved weather conditions have aided efforts, the company is still facing local flooding and other access challenges ? especially in the central and eastern counties.

Crews that have completed restorations in other areas are now joining forces, and Duke Energy Florida is concentrating its full workforce into these harder-hit areas. Click here for information on how Duke Energy restores power.

Reasons why you may not receive power by the expected time

We do our best to ensure our estimates are as accurate as possible, but we occasionally must adjust those times as we uncover additional damage or problems with access.

Sometimes, customers may see a neighbor's lights come back on while they are still without power. A few explanations:

• Parts of the neighborhood may be served by different circuits, and not all circuits come back at the same time.
• There may also be a problem with their individual service line or their meter.

If your home or business is flooded, Duke Energy cannot reconnect power until the electrical system has been inspected by a licensed electrician. If there is damage, an electrician will need to make repairs and obtain verification from your local building inspection authority before power can be restored.

If the meter box is pulled away from a customer's house or mobile home service pole and power is not being received, the homeowner is responsible for contacting an electrician to reattach the meter box and/or provide a permanent fix. In some instances, an electrical inspection may be required by the county before Duke Energy can reconnect service. An electrician can advise customers on next steps.

For rooftop solar owners, solar panels don't guarantee power during an outage since they operate partly using energy from Duke Energy's grid. Two exceptions are installing an off-grid solar system or installing a method of energy storage, such as batteries.

Keeping customers informed

Customers who experience a power outage 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 800.228.8485.

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.

The company also will provide regular updates to customers and communities through emails, text messages, outbound phone calls, social media and its website, which includes power outage maps.

Safety recommendations

• Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging. Consider all lines energized, as well as trees, limbs, fences or anything in contact with lines.
• If a power line falls across a car that you're in, stay in the car. If you MUST exit 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.
• A generator can be very useful during a power outage, but remember to always follow the manufacturer's instructions to ensure safe and proper operation.
• 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 crews making repairs.
• Operate your generator outside. Never operate it inside a building or garage.
• Electric current passes easily through water, so stay away from downed power lines and electrical wires. Don't drive over ? and don't stand near ? downed power lines.

For more tips during and after the storm, visit duke-energy.com/StormTips.

For company updates, visit dukeenergyupdates.com.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business and at least a 50% carbon reduction from electric generation by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The 2050 net-zero goals also include Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 emissions. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Audrey Stasko
Cell: 315.877.3031
Media line: 800.559.3853
Twitter: @DE_AudreyS

SOURCE Duke Energy