Duke Energy equips Florida communities with storm kits, essential tools and more thanks to $300,000 in emergency preparedness grants

• Grants will provide storm kits for seniors, as well as equipment and training to aid in emergency preparedness and disaster response efforts

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As Duke Energy stands ready to respond to another active storm season in Florida, the company is investing $300,000 in grants to support emergency operation centers and nonprofits dedicated to helping residents prepare for and recover from severe weather events.

"Duke Energy is a company committed to improving reliability and resiliency for Florida customers and communities," said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. "Keeping Florida safe, resilient and strong starts with emergency preparedness. These grants will help provide the necessary support to ensure our customers and communities are ready to respond to whatever mother nature throws our way."

The grants, funded by the Duke Energy Foundation and Duke Energy Florida, are designed to help organizations with key roles in emergency preparedness increase their ability to bounce back more quickly from major weather events through advanced preparation and planning. The funding will help local communities do everything from fund storm kits, new materials, equipment and workshops for local emergency operations centers and community agencies.

This year's Duke Energy Foundation funding will allow the Florida Council on Aging to provide free storm kits to seniors in Duke Energy's service territory. The statewide agency received $50,000 to distribute the kits through various organizations throughout the state.

"The Florida Council on Aging is honored to collaborate with Duke Energy to help seniors throughout Florida prepare for hurricane season," said Margaret Lynn Duggar, executive director. "Many seniors live on a fixed income and wouldn't otherwise be able to secure the supplies to be ready for impacts from severe weather. We are thankful to work with Duke Energy and know this effort will help bring peace of mind to thousands of seniors."

A complete list of grant recipients and program details can be found here.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,500 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 Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

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 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. 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 2023 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "World'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
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SOURCE Duke Energy