Hurricane Nicole: Getting the Lights Back on Swiftly and Safely

Nov. 30, 2022
Linemen restored power to 98 percent of Duke Energy's impacted customers within 12 hours of Hurricane Nicole leaving the Florida service territory.

Through teamwork and dedication, lineworkers restored power to 98% of Duke Energy's impacted customers within 12 hours of Hurricane Nicole leaving the Florida service territory. As the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida in November since 1985, Nicole brought damaging rain and heavy winds to Duke Energy's service territory. 

Hurricane Nicole, which followed in the footsteps of Hurricane Ian in Florida, impacted a large portion of Duke Energy's service territory. Crews rapidly responded and restored more than 300,000 customers. To expedite restoration, Duke Energy's logistics team staged 5,000 workers across the state. 

"Many of those workers came from as far as the Midwest, Louisiana and the eastern portion of the country to answer the call to assist Duke Energy Florida in getting the lights back on for our customers," said Barry Anderson, senior vice president of customer delivery for Duke Energy Florida. 

To take a look at the restoration process, check out this photo gallery. Also, look for a feature article on the storm in the February 2023 Electric Utility Operations section in T&D World magazine. 

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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