Duke Energy restored power to 90% of Carolinas customers able to receive power following Helene and will continue working until all customers are restored.
The company says it could be days before it completes restoration work for all customers capable of receiving service, especially in the hardest-hit areas.
Fewer than 105,000 customers in South Carolina remain without power, but many will be restored soon. Approximately 141,000 customer outages remain in the mountains of North Carolina. Duke Energy will continue to update estimated times of restoration for customers who remain without power and will communicate updates directly with customers.
The company's strategy over the past week has been to prioritize the restoration of the backbone of its system, which can be compared to the interstate highways and interchanges of the power grid. As the backbone work is completed, Duke Energy is moving personnel to work on the power grid's thousands of miles of lines and poles that serve individual homes and businesses. This work can feel slower because the same amount of work restores fewer customers.
"As more of our workers move into the areas hardest hit by Helene, they're encountering more severe damage on a larger scale than we've ever experienced," said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy storm director in the Carolinas. "Restoring this unprecedented damage is requiring an unprecedented amount of equipment, people and time. We set aggressive restoration goals and have more restoration crews in these regions than ever before, working night and day to restore service to our customers."
