Following Florence: Line Crews Restore Power to 1.9 Million Customers

Sept. 20, 2018
See Duke Energy line crews in action as they restore power following Hurricane Florence.

Hurricane Florence may have been downgraded to a tropical depression, but it still left an impact on the Carolinas with historic flooding and significant damage. Since the storm began, the impacted power companies have restored power to 1.9 million customers. 

Linemen are working around the clock to restore power to the impacted customers in the Carolinas. For example, Duke Energy expects to restore power to 90 percent of its coastal customers only about a week after the storm hit, according to the Edison Electric Institute (EEI). As of Sept. 20, about 89,000 North Carolina customers were without power, and some of these homeowners may not be able to receive electricity due to significant damage to their homes. 

Even after linemen have restored power to the affected neighborhoods, a licensed electrician or city inspector may need to check a system before power can be restored, according to EEI. Even so, EEI stated that companies will not stop their storm restoration efforts until the last customer who can receive power is restored. Here are some photos from the Facebook page of Duke Energy, which was one of the most impacted utilities during the storm.

About the Author

Amy Fischbach | Amy Fischbach, EUO Contributing Editor

Amy Fischbach is the Field Editor for T&D World magazine and manages the Electric Utility Operations section. She is the host of the Line Life Podcast, which celebrates the grit, courage and inspirational teamwork of the line trade.  She also works on the annual Lineworker Supplement and the Vegetation Management Supplement as well as the Lineman Life and Lineman's Rodeo News enewsletters. Amy also covers events such as the Trees & Utilities conference and the International Lineman's Rodeo. She is the past president of the ASBPE Educational Foundation and ASBPE and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Kansas State University. She can be reached at [email protected]

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