- The company continues with power restoration in hardest hit
areas, including Pinellas County's barrier islands
ST.
PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 3, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida is here to help customers
impacted by Hurricane Helene, offering a variety of resources and
information in order to support the recovery process.
The company also continues with power restoration in areas
hardest hit by the storm, including Pinellas County's barrier islands. Established
estimated times of restoration – 11:59 p.m.
on Friday, Oct. 4 for most and 11:59
p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 for some – are still on track to be
met. Customers can visit dukeenergyupdates.com/BarrierIslands for
updates.
"We will continue to be easily accessible and maintain an open
line of communication with our customers even after their power is
restored," said Melissa Seixas, Duke
Energy Florida state president. "After such extensive destruction,
many communities face a lengthy and trying recovery process, but we
are here to help and will be with them every step of the way."
Duke Energy Florida has mobilized customer care units in
severely impacted areas. Company representatives will be onsite to
answer questions and provide account assistance. They will be
available in the following locations today, Thursday, Oct. 3 and tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 4:
Madeira Beach City Hall
- 300 Municipal Drive, Madeira Beach,
FL 33708
- 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber
- 6990 Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach, FL 33706
- 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET
Sheraton Sand Key Resort
- 1160 Gulf Boulevard, Clearwater
Beach, FL 33767
- 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET
Daystar Life Center of Citrus
County
- 6751 W. Gulf to Lake Highway, Crystal
River, FL 34429
- 9 a.m.-2 p.m. ET
Customers who have damage to the electrical service that serves
their homes or businesses should contact Duke Energy Florida. An
onsite visit will be conducted to determine if there is a need to
de-energize the property for safety. The customer will then need to
contact a licensed electrician to make repairs, followed by the
local municipality to schedule an inspection. After the inspection
is complete, the customer must contact Duke Energy Florida to
request restoration of service.
Customers who need power to rebuild their homes or businesses
should contact their local municipality to relay their intent and
obtain a 911 address for the property. Then, the customer will need
to request that Duke Energy Florida establish electric service on a
temporary pole on the property. After an electrician installs a
temporary service pole and meter base, the customer must apply to
the city or county for an electrical inspection and ensure the
municipality sends the inspection to Duke Energy Florida to have
electric service connected.
Additionally, Duke Energy Florida reminds customers to be
vigilant, stay informed and guard their personal information, as
scams and fraud are rampant after storms. The company
will never threaten immediate disconnection, demand payment
information over the phone or ask customers to get a "Green Dot" or
prepaid credit card. For more information and helpful tips, please
click here.
Customers who need assistance paying their utility bills can
learn more about programs that may be available to help by visiting
duke-energy.com/HereToHelp or calling 800.700.8744.
For individual estimated times of restoration, customers can use
Duke Energy's Outage Map and/or enroll in Outage
Alerts.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a
subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy
capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential,
commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile
service area in Florida.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune
150 company headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies.
The company's electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky, and collectively own
54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities
serve 1.7 million customers in North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition,
keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the
forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions
from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions
from electricity generation by 2050. The company is investing in
major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including
expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and
nuclear.
More information is available at duke-energy.com and the
Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy
on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for
stories about the people and innovations powering our energy
transition.
Contact: Ana Gibbs
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy