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About 6,075 customers remain without power, down from a peak of 49,985 on Saturday night
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All outages should be restored by 11:45 p.m. Monday, though a majority will be restored well before then
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Company appreciates customers’ support and patience over the past 24 hours
CINCINNATI – Duke Energy crews restored power to nearly 88 percent of Ohio and Kentucky customers who lost it as a result of strong winds on Saturday evening.
“Our crews continue to assess damages, clear debris, install new poles and wires, and restore power,” said Howard Fowler, Duke Energy’s storm director. “They’ve battled more heavy wind gusts today, but have worked quickly and safely to make progress in our restoration efforts.”
Duke Energy expects all remaining outages to be restored by 11:45 p.m. Monday, though the vast majority of customers will be restored sooner. Duke Energy has supplemented its crews with hundreds of workers from nearby private companies and utilities from as far away as Michigan and Wisconsin.
“We’ve restored nearly 44,000 customer outages since late Saturday night,” said Fowler. “The remaining work is just as important. And while we’re proud of our progress, we won’t be satisfied until all customers are restored.”
Updated estimated restoration times available
Duke Energy continues to update customers’ estimated restoration times. These are available by calling the automated outage-reporting system at 800-543-5599 and visiting the company’s mobile website at m.duke-energy.com.
Estimated restoration times are continually updated as crews determine the causes of particular outages, what repairs are needed, and how long the work will take to complete.
Abnormal wind storm reason for extended outages
No two weather systems are the same. However, a typical storm has a defined path and, depending on its strength, could lead to power outages in clear-cut areas. In these situations, Duke Energy can usually restore service quickly by re-routing power to a circuit and making a handful of repairs.
Yesterday’s wind storm was vastly different. It resulted in a high number of smaller outages. In many cases, we were not able to remotely or manually re-route power to specific circuits. That’s because the strong winds caused multiple faults on individual circuits, and required crews on-site to assess the damage and install new power poles, lines and other equipment before service could be restored.
Please be safe
Duke Energy reminds customers to stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging. Consider all power lines energized, as well as trees or limbs in contact with power lines. Please report downed power lines to Duke Energy.
In addition, please remember Ohio and Kentucky’s “move over” laws, which require drivers to make way for emergency responders – like utility workers. On roads with only one traffic lane in each direction, drivers must slow down and be prepared to stop.
Additional resources
- As part of Duke Energy’s power restoration process, customers may choose to receive a text message or phone call from the company to confirm their power has been restored. Learn more about our Outage Notifications.
- We also offer an infographic that shows how Duke Energy restores power after a widespread storm, as well as a short YouTube video that explains our process.
- Click here for more tips on how to stay safe around power lines.
About Duke Energy Ohio and 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 525,000 customers.
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 125 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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