Duke Energy Florida Restores 287,000 Customers In 12 Hours, Workforce of 5,000 Help Speed Restoration
November 12, 2022 08:53 am
Photo and graphic: Columbia County Observer
ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Duke Energy Florida restored power to 98% of Nicole impacted customers within 12 hours of the hurricane leaving Duke’s service territory.
As of noon Friday, Duke restored power to more than 287,000 customers. Less than 5,000 customers remained without power due to the storm.
Duke will have a concentration of crews in the areas still needing repair. Power was expected to be restored to the remaining storm-related customers by 10 p.m. last night.
Making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane, Nicole was the first November hurricane to make landfall in Florida since 1985. Nicole exited Florida around 11 p.m. Thursday night.
Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president, commented after the power restoration, “While we did not anticipate a hurricane so late in the season, our team didn’t hesitate to respond and support our customers. Nicole impacted a large portion of our territory, and the incredible team effort helped us restore more than 287,000 customers within 12 hours.”
Ahead of the storm, Duke staged more than 5,000 workers in strategic locations throughout the state to respond. Crews from around the country helped speed restoration.
Along with additional crews, the company was helped by its recent improvements to the grid, minimizing outages and restoration times.
