• Company working to share updated restoration information with remaining 420,000 customers without power, including those in the hardest-hit communities
• 90% of customer outages in South Carolina and North Carolina will be restored Friday
• Crews have repaired more than 2 million power outages in the Carolinas

Editor's note: Visit the Duke Energy News Center for storm director videos, downloadable B-roll and high-resolution images.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 21,000 workers continue to make progress restoring power to Duke Energy customers in western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina following Helene's catastrophic damage, though major challenges remain.

The hurricane damaged a significant portion of the electric system in the North Carolina mountains and South Carolina upstate including transmission towers, substations, utility poles, power lines and other major equipment. In some areas where power outages remain, floods have destroyed roads and bridges.

"We continue to work with a variety of stakeholders to get critical assets – like our vehicles, workers, poles, transformers, wire and more – to the areas where we are restoring power for our customers," said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy's storm director for the Carolinas. "We know partnerships and collaboration with local, state and federal agencies are critical – and will continue to be – as we collaborate with these communities to rebuild."  

Power restoration update

Below is the latest storm restoration information by state as of 4 p.m. ET:

South Carolina

• In South Carolina, 219,000 customers in the Upstate remain out of power, as Duke Energy has restored 826,000 customer outages. Customer restoration efforts have benefitted from a crucial collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, as Duke Energy crews made significant progress as roads were cleared of significant storm debris and other obstacles.
• We are on track to restore an additional 134,000 customers by Friday evening, Oct. 4, with the remaining 85,000 in the hardest-hit areas by Sunday, Oct. 6.
• We'll continue to communicate with customers via email, text and outbound call as their site-specific details become available. Customers can also visit dukeenergyupdates.com for the latest updates on their outage.

North Carolina

• In North Carolina, 201,000 customers in the mountain region remain without power, as Duke Energy has restored 1.1 million customer outages.
• We are on track to restore an additional 27,000 customers by Friday evening, Oct. 4, with another 69,000 in the hardest-hit areas by Sunday, Oct. 6.
• In the areas where catastrophic damage exists – homes can't receive power, and total grid infrastructure damage and lack of access exists – 105,000 customers are without power. We're working closely with the state on plans to address these as quickly as possible.
• We'll continue to communicate with customers via email, text and outbound call as their site-specific details become available. Customers can also visit dukeenergyupdates.com for the latest updates on their outage.

"The North Carolina Department of Transportation is in constant communication with Duke Energy and offering all available assistance to restore power as quickly as possible," said Joey Hopkins, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Transportation. "Communities in western North Carolina have been hit hard and every day without electricity is difficult. Repairing damage to the grid and restoring power is an urgent priority and we will continue assisting Duke Energy with their efforts."

Added Hollifield, "Our thoughts are with those communities who are still without power and other essential services. We're committed to continuing safe restoration until everyone's power is restored."

We encourage those looking to support restoration efforts to join us in donating to American Red Cross or one of the many community organizations responding to disaster recovery in the Carolinas.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, and collectively own 54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition, keeping reliability, affordability, and accessibility at the forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and nuclear.

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition.

24-Hour: 800.559.3853

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SOURCE Duke Energy