Duke Energy Florida readies for approaching storm Idalia; continues to closely monitor storm’s path and intensity

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Duke Energy is mobilizing approximately 4,500 – power line technicians, vegetation workers, damage assessors and support personnel – to respond to power outages as Idalia reaches Florida.

Forecasts show that potential weather impacts may begin as early as Tuesday night. Yesterday, Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 33 counties in Florida, many of which are in Duke Energy Florida’s service territory.

“Duke Energy is actively monitoring Idalia’s path, intensity and timing, and staging resources in safe locations to respond to outages as soon as it’s safe to do so,” said Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director. “As we prepare to respond, it's important our customers take this storm seriously and ensure their homes and families are prepared.”

Crews from Duke Energy’s Midwest operations – as well as workers from other utility companies across the state and Southeast – will assist and begin power restoration as soon as weather conditions safely allow.

Important safety reminders

For more tips on what to do before, during and after a storm, please visit duke-energy.com/StormTips.

Power restoration

As restoration begins, workers may not be visible in each impacted neighborhood, as the first priority is to repair large power lines and other infrastructure that will return power to the greatest number of customers as safely, quickly and efficiently as possible.

Power restoration crews will begin working immediately after the storm, but restoration efficiency improves as damage assessment information is available to ensure the right workers and materials are dispatched to each power outage location.

The company will provide estimated power restoration times to customers once damage assessments are completed. 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 an interactive outage map. The outage map allows customers to view up-to-date information on power outages, including the total number of outages systemwide and estimated times of restoration.

Outage reporting

To stay informed about the status of power outages, customers should sign up for Outage Alerts. If already enrolled, take this time to ensure all contact information is accurate and up to date using the Manage Alerts link at duke-energy.com/OutageAlerts.

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

For storm or power restoration updates, follow Duke Energy on Twitter (@DukeEnergy) and Facebook (Duke Energy).

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 (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.

Contact: Audrey Stasko24-Hour: 800.559.3853Twitter: @DE_AudreyS

Florida, Emergency Response, Storms and Outages, Customers