Duke Energy crews restore power to 43,000 customers in Indiana following storms; damage assessment continues

• Power restoration work ongoing in widespread region of primarily southern Indiana.

PLAINFIELD, Ind. - Duke Energy has restored power to 43,000 customers impacted by the powerful winds that moved through Indiana this weekend.

Two waves of storms beginning Saturday broke numerous utility poles and brought down power lines, causing power outages for more than 57,000 customers - primarily in southern Indiana.

To speed power restoration for the approximately 14,000 customers who remained without power as of 11 a.m. today, Duke Energy has moved employees and contractors from its Ohio and northern Indiana service areas to supplement local crews in southern Indiana.

The areas most impacted by the power outages include Bartholomew, Shelby, Monroe, Morgan, Crawford, Brown and Decatur counties.

Power is expected to be restored to most customers by midnight, but in the hardest hit areas around Columbus, restoration may continue into Monday.

In addition to making repairs, Duke Energy crews are surveying the extent of damage. Damage assessment is an important part of the power restoration process as it helps determine where the company will deploy its workers, equipment and other resources.

Duke Energy will provide estimated power restoration times for specific counties - once those estimates have been determined - at duke-energy.com/outages/current-outages.

Customers who are registered for Duke Energy text alerts will receive a text once an estimated restoration time is established for their location. (Sign up to receive outage alerts.)

"The additional crews we've moved from other service areas should help speed power restoration now that the storms have passed," said Chris Ciminero, Duke Energy incident commander for the storm. "I thank our customers for their patience and understanding as our crews work to safely restore power as quickly as possible."

Power restoration process

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. Click here for information on how Duke Energy restores power.

How to report power outages

Customers who experience a power outage can report using any of the following methods:

• Visit duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile device.
  
• Use the Duke Energy mobile app (download the Duke Energy App on your smartphone via Apple Store or Google Play).
  
• Text OUT to 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply).
  
• Call Duke Energy's automated outage-reporting system at 800.343.3525

Important safety tips

Duke Energy urges customers to avoid all downed power lines and assume they are energized. Downed lines should be reported to 800.343.3525.

If a power line falls across a car that you're in, stay in the car. If you MUST get out of the car due to an 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.

More tips on what to do before, during and after a storm can be found at duke-energy.com/safety-and-preparedness/storm-safety.

How to protect refrigerated food during power outages

For customers who lose power and have full refrigerators and freezers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends the following:

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.
  
• A refrigerator can keep food cold for about four hours if it is unopened. If the power will be out for more than four hours, use coolers to keep refrigerated food cold.
  
• A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.

The FDA offers additional tips for proper food handling and storage before, during and after a power outage at www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/food-and-water-safety-during-power-outages-and-floods.

Duke Energy Indiana

Duke Energy Indiana, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides about 6,300 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 870,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it Indiana's largest electric supplier.

Media contact: Angeline Protogere
800.559.3853

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