Duke Energy urges Florida customers to prepare for severe weather impacts this weekend

• Line and tree crews ready to respond; company encourages customers to do the same

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Dec. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida and its staff of meteorologists are closely monitoring the approaching tropical storm-like weather expected this weekend and making preparations to respond as quickly as possible should customers in Florida experience any disruptions in their service. The company urges customers to prepare as well.

Forecasts show the potential for strong winds and heavy rain that could result in significant power outages throughout many parts of Florida. Crews will begin power restoration as soon as conditions are safe to do so.

"At Duke Energy, the safety of our customers and communities comes first," said Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director. "We are ready to respond and we encourage our customers to have a plan in place should they experience any impacts from this potentially strong storm."

Below are some tips to help customers be ready:

• Prepare in advance in case of extended outages. Visit our Storm Center to learn how to remain safe during all phases of a storm, and consider making plans for the elderly and those with special medical needs should prolonged outages occur.
• Sign up for alerts and know how to report an outage. Receive the most up-to-date information about restoration efforts by enrolling in Outage Alerts. If you lose power, text OUT to 57801, report online or through the mobile app, or call 800.343.3525.
• Understand how Duke Energy restores power. Duke Energy focuses on restoring power in a sequence that enables power restoration to public health and safety facilities and to the greatest number of customers as safely and quickly as possible.
• Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging. Consider all lines energized, as well as trees, limbs or anything in contact with lines. If a power line falls across a car that 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, do your best 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.

For more tips on how to prepare for severe weather, please visit duke-energy.com/StormTips, and make sure to follow the instructions and warnings of emergency management officials in your area.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear. 

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2023 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "World's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Audrey Stasko
Media line: 800.559.3853
Twitter: @DE_AudreyS

SOURCE Duke Energy