Weather Update from Duke Energy

By Frank Williams | October 2, 2015 |

Distributed by Duke Energy the morning of October 2, 2015:

Although Hurricane Joaquin is now forecast to remain well offshore, there is still a significant weather threat to the Carolinas. We continue to anticipate widespread rainfall totals of 4-8” across the Carolinas through Monday morning with some locally higher amounts that could exceed 10” in some areas.

In addition to the heavy rain, winds will be gusty through Monday with wind gusts of 35-45 mph through Monday. The combination of the saturated ground, additional rainfall and the gusty winds will likely result in power outages across the entire Duke Energy Carolinas Service Area. An additional threat from this event could be landslides and debris flows across the western mountains and foothills.
Conditions are expected to gradually improve through the latter part of Monday. Below is the radar from 8:40. a.m.

Safety Reminders

We are prepared, and we encourage customers to prepare by checking their supply of flashlights, batteries, bottled water, non-perishable foods, medicines, etc. Also, ensure a portable, battery operated radio, TV or NOAA radio is on hand.
Families who have special medical needs or elderly members should closely monitor weather forecasts and make plans for potential alternate arrangements should an extended outage occur.
Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging. Consider all lines energized as well as trees or limbs in contact with lines. Please report downed power lines to Duke Energy and your local police department. 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 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.

Reporting Outages

Customers who experience an outage during the storm should call the automated outage-reporting system:

Duke Energy Progress: 800.419.6356
Customers may also report an outage or view current outages using our online outage map.

Staying Informed

Duke Energy also will provide updates on its social media channels to keep customers informed if significant outages occur.