Duke Energy Florida said they rapidly restored power for 90% of its customers within 24 hours after Hurricane Debby made landfall in the Big Bend.
Crews continue to work tirelessly to restore power in areas hardest hit, and the company said they will not stop until every customer has power.
Duke Energy Florida anticipates restoring 95% of customers in Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Levy, Marion, and Sumter counties by 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, though many customers will be restored before then.
Hurricane Debby brought strong winds, heavy rainfall and widespread flooding to Florida. The company has relocated crews to concentrate on the hardest hit areas as they require additional work to complete restoration.
The estimated time of restoration for 95% of the remaining customers in the hardest hit areas is 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.
The remaining customers in the hardest hit areas include:
- Alachua County
- Columbia County
- Dixie County
- Gilchrist County
- Hamilton County
- Jefferson County
- Lafayette County
- Madison County
- Suwannee County
- Taylor County
- Wakulla County
The company continues to work alongside its neighboring utilities, cooperatives and municipalities served by Duke Energy Florida transmission lines and substations to ensure estimated times of restoration are coordinated.
Flood and meter box damage
For customers whose homes or businesses were flooded, Duke Energy cannot reconnect power until the electrical system has been inspected by a licensed electrician. If there is damage, an electrician will need to make repairs and obtain verification from the local building inspection authority before power can be restored.
If the meter box is pulled away from a customer’s house or mobile home service pole and power is not being received, the homeowner is responsible for contacting an electrician to reattach the meter box and/or provide a permanent fix. In some instances, an electrical inspection may be required by the county before Duke Energy can reconnect service. An electrician can advise customers on the next steps.
Duke Energy will continue to update customers through emails, text messages, phone calls, social media, and its website, including the outage map.
“Duke Energy is grateful for our customers’ continued patience and understanding as our crews have been working around the clock to get the lights back on,” said Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director. “We are proud of our progress so far, but we remain laser-focused on safely restoring power for every last customer, going above and beyond to demonstrate our commitment to the communities we serve.”
Downed power lines are hazardous
Duke Energy reminds customers and the public to stay away from downed power lines that have fallen or are sagging and to consider all power lines – and trees, limbs or anything in contact with power lines – energized and dangerous.
If a power line falls across a vehicle you are in, stay in the car. If you MUST get out of the car due to a fire or other immediate life-threatening situation, try to jump clear of the car and land on both feet. Be sure that no part of your body is touching the car when your feet touch the ground.
Customers using generators
If you use a generator at home to provide power until your service is restored, please watch for utility crews and turn the generator off when crews are in your area. The electrical load on the power lines can be dangerous for crews making repairs. The excess electricity created by a generator can feed back onto the electric lines, severely injuring a line technician who might be working on a power line, believing it to be de-energized.
For more information, customers can sign up online for phone and email alerts or text REG to 57801 for text alerts, bookmark the outage map, and download the mobile app for updates.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.
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