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Duke Energy prepares for Hurricane Michael

Published by , Assistant Editor
World Coal,


As forecasts increasingly predict that Hurricane Michael will impact Florida, Duke Energy is preparing for the storm and urges customers to do the same. Hurricane Michael is forecasted to be a category 3 at landfall with 120 mph winds, life-threatening storm surge and heavy rainfall.

Duke Energy expects damage to its infrastructure, which might result in extended power outages as the storm continues to strengthen and heads closer to Florida. The Florida governor has declared a state of emergency in advance of the hurricane.

"Hurricane Michael is intensifying and poses a significant threat to the Florida Panhandle and will affect west central Florida," said Duke Energy Senior Meteorologist Max Thompson.

"Some of our most populated service areas, such as Pinellas and Pasco counties, might experience tropical storm-force winds and experience outages. We join state officials in asking everyone to take this storm seriously.

"Duke Energy customers in the projected path of this storm could see impacts and should make plans now to prepare their homes and families. We also ask our customers for their patience as outages are expected, and might take time to restore." Thompson said.

Duke Energy has a detailed storm response plan in place.

In advance of the hurricane, Duke Energy is moving power utility crews and resources so they are pre-staged and ready to help restore power as soon as it is safe to do so.

In addition, line technicians and workers are checking equipment, supplies and inventories to ensure adequate materials are available to make repairs and restore power outages.

Restoring power after a storm can be extremely challenging for utility repair crews, as travel and work conditions can be impacted by high winds and widespread flooding – making repair work lengthy and difficult.

Before bulk power can be restored, crews first must assess the extent of damage – which can take 24 hours or more – to determine which crews, equipment and supplies are needed before repairs can begin.

Customers should stay tuned in to local news for the latest advisories from the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center (NHC), as well as state and local emergency management officials.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/power/09102018/duke-energy-prepares-for-hurricane-michael/

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