Duke Energy crews replacing equipment, restoring power following Monday'’s crushing storms

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  • 6,500 customers in Ohio and Kentucky without power as of 1 p.m. Tuesday, down from nearly 70,000 on Monday afternoon
  • Company’s meteorologists monitoring another storm front

CINCINNATI - Hours before the Cincinnati Reds'’ Todd Frazier hit the lights out of the ball during Monday'’s Home Run Derby, a crushing storm knocked out power to tens of thousands of Duke Energy customers in southeastern Ohio and northern Kentucky.

Duke Energy crews and contractors continue to work nonstop to restore power.

"Our crews, tree-trimming contractors and countless others went out in the field immediately after Monday's storm blew through the region," said Howard Fowler, Duke Energy's Midwest storm coordinator. "Our teams are working as fast and as safe as possible, and they will not stop until every customer is back up and running."

As of 1 p.m. today, about 6,500 customers in Ohio and Kentucky are still without power. That's down from a high of nearly 70,000 customers on Monday afternoon. A detailed outage map, county-by-county breakdown and estimated restoration times are available at www.duke-energy.com/outage.

Duke Energy has about 300 employees, contractors and utility workers on hand to help restore power throughout its Ohio and Kentucky service areas. An additional 265 resources will arrive tonight to supplement the restoration efforts.

Estimated times of restoration are as follows:

Ohio:

Hamilton County- Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Clermont County- Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Butler County- Today, 6 p.m.

Kentucky:

Boone County- Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Kenton County- Wednesday, 6 p.m.
Campbell County- Wednesday, 6 p.m.

Company monitoring additional storm activity

Duke Energy's meteorologists continue to monitor a storm system that could lead to more outages this afternoon. In addition, the National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for the region until 8 p.m.

Most customers should be back online today and into Wednesday. Due to the magnitude of Monday’'s storm, wet ground conditions and the potential for another storm this afternoon, some Duke Energy customers may not see their power restored until Thursday.

"No one ever likes when the power goes out," said Fowler. "We thank all of our customers for their patience and support as our crews do what they do best --– restore power."

You can view an infographic on how Duke Energy restores power by going to http://www.duke-energy.com/pdfs/How-Duke-Energy-Restores-Power.pdf. An animated version is available here.

Safety is priority No. 1

While Duke Energy workers are focused on bringing customers back online, their No. 1 priority remains safety --– their personal safety, the safety of their teammates, and the safety of our customers and communities.

"“Restoring power and maintaining the electric grid is hazardous work,"” said Fowler. “"While we want to restore service as fast as possible, our company and our crews will not compromise on safety."

Duke Energy encourages all customers to stay safe around power lines. In addition, customers with standby generators should always follow safe practices. See our Standby Generator Safety page. Additional electric safety information is available at http://www.duke-energy.com/safety/electric.asp.

About Duke Energy Ohio & Kentucky

Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky'’s operations provide electric service to about 840,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in a 3,000-square-mile service area and natural gas service to approximately 500,000 customers.

Duke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States with approximately $120 billion in total assets. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.3 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest. Its commercial power and international energy 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 a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.