Duke Energy expecting Hurricane Florence to be a “historic storm leaving historic damage”

As Hurricane Florence heads toward the southeastern shore of the United States, Duke Energy said it has more than 20,000 workers in place to restore power in the event an estimated 1 to 3 million of its customers lose electricity.

Duke Energy is expecting the storm to be a “historic storm leaving historic damage,” David Fountain, president of Duke Energy North Carolina, said in a press conference.

“Both Gov. Cooper and Gov. McMaster have declared states of emergency for both North Carolina and South Carolina,” Fountain said. “The Carolinas are clearly in the crosshairs for Florence and preparations such as evacuations are well underway. This is a dangerous storm, one that must be taken seriously.”

Though the storm has been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane, it is expected to stall just after making landfall. Duke Energy has been working for a week to prepare for the storm and post-storm restoration.

“Based on the latest track and overall forecast for Florence, our modeling projects expect to see somewhere between 1 [million] and 3 million outages for the four million homes and businesses that we serve,” Fountain said.

That number is based on previous storms as well as predictions for the current storm.

Fowler said they are preparing for the storm in three phases: preparation, damage assessment, and restoration.

Their preparation includes tracking the storm, checking equipment, opening lines of communication with customers and officials, and being in touch with vendors about expectations and possible scenarios.

Duke Energy has 20,000 people in place to help restore power, which is the largest resource mobilization ever for the utility. That includes 1,700 employees from Duke Energy Midwest; 1,200 employees from Duke Energy Florida; and 9,400 workers from other utilities.

“Despite our workforce, customers should continue to make plans for their homes and facilities,” Howard Fowler, Duke Energy’s incident commander, said. “It’s important for people to know this is no ordinary storm and customers could be without power for a very long time.”

After the storm passes, there is likely to be continued winds and widespread flooding, which can further complicate the restoration process.

“This will be a challenging time for our customers,” Fowler said. “As the storm approaches, we want them to remain safe and we appreciate their patience as Duke Energy works to restore damage.”

Duke Energy’s crews will begin working on restoration as soon as it is safe to do so. The utility will start the process at their backbone systems and then work their way down the line, to neighborhoods and then individual homes.

“Safety comes first, both for our workers and public,” Fowler said.

Electricity will not be the only issue faced by utilities, businesses, and customers during the storm.

“Given the path of the storm and the amount of rain expected, this will likely also be a natural gas event with potential flooded facilities, meters, and appliances and homes,” Fountain said. “While not nearly to the same extent of the electric system it will likely still be a major work effort for our natural gas teammates here at Duke Energy and Piedmont Gas.”

Duke Energy’s natural gas business unit has been involved in significant preparation and training for the storm for the past week, just as the rest of the utility has been.

Duke Energy is also keeping an eye on their Brunswick Nuclear Plant in Southport, North Carolina, but are confident they have the correct procedures in place to keep everything safe.

“If we determine that the plant type will experience sustained hurricane force winds, then our operators will begin an orderly shutdown of the generating units to be completed at least two hours prior to the expected impact,” Fountain said. “Operators remain on-site throughout the event. We monitor wind and water levels for any possible threats to the plant.”

Duke Energy operators receive extensive training for storm preparation, including one out of every five weeks to manage events like extreme weather and shutting down the unit.

“We are well prepared for this and I know our nuclear team will respond appropriately and assure the safety of the public and the plant as well,” he added.

Duke Energy has also given $145,000 in grants to the American Red Cross of the Carolinas, because “many lose more than power during major storms,” Fountain said.

Beyond preparation, Duke Energy is working hard to get the word out about the seriousness of the storm.

“It’s important for customers and people to know though that this is no ordinary storm and people could be without power for a very long time. Not days, but weeks,” Fountain said. “At Duke energy, I can assure you we are primed and ready to respond to Hurricane Florence once it’s safe to do so and we will not rest until power is restored for everyone.”