Almost
9,000 personnel are responding to Duke Energy power outages due to a
winter storm that is rolling through the Carolinas this weekend.
As
of noon Sunday, the company reported 240,000 outages – 170,000
in North Carolina and 70,000 in South Carolina. The
company has restored power to 80,000 customers since last night and
early this morning.
Among
the hardest hit counties:
North Carolina:
Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Mecklenburg, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania and Wake counties.
South
Carolina:
Greenville and Spartanburg counties.
A
mix of heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain are causing branches to
sag and trees to fall, bringing power lines down with them. Also,
hazardous road conditions are resulting in vehicle accidents. Cars
hitting power poles and other electrical infrastructure further
increase the risk of power outages.
The
company typically requires 12-24 hours to fully assess damage from a
significant weather event, even while simultaneously restoring power.
Winter storms can present additional challenges to moving personnel
and equipment within hard-hit areas.
Headquartered
in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy
holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees
and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts.
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