CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy today thanked its Carolinas customers for their patience and kindness to repair crews as power restoration neared completion after Friday's severe thunderstorm that included near hurricane-strength winds approaching 70 mph.
More than 1,000 line technicians from Duke Energy and out-of-state companies are working to restore power to almost all Duke Energy customers by 11:45 p.m. (ET) tonight.
Some isolated outages might last longer due to damage to customer-owned electrical equipment, including meter boxes.
As of 5 p.m. (ET) today, fewer than 2,500 Duke Energy customers who lost power due to the storm remained without electricity – about half of them in hard-hit Wilkes County, N.C., where more than 600 technicians are working to restore power.
At the height of the storm, more than 170,000 Carolinas customers lost power as strong winds uprooted trees and broke large branches, knocking down power lines and utility poles in western and central North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.
In total, 350,000 customers were affected by the storm at some point during the weekend.
In addition to Wilkes County, the hardest-hit counties were Mecklenburg, Gaston, Forsyth, Macon and Jackson in North Carolina, and Spartanburg in South Carolina.
"It was a very long and very hot weekend for our customers who lost power," said Duke Energy senior vice president John Smith. "We greatly appreciate their patience and their kindness to our repair crews, who have been working long hours to restore power as quickly and safely as possible."
Register to receive outage alerts, updates
Duke Energy customers can register to receive free, year-round power outage alerts and updates by text, phone or email. Text REG to 57801 to register, or sign up online at http://www.duke-energy.com/north-carolina/outages/outage-alerts.asp
Duke Energy
Duke Energy is one of the largest electric power holding companies in the United States. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.4 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest, representing a population of approximately 24 million people. Its Commercial Portfolio and International business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is an S&P 100 Stock Index company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.
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SOURCE Duke Energy
