Duke Energy Florida reports approximately 850,000 power outages after Hurricane Milton hits Florida | Duke Energy

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Duke Energy Florida is reporting approximately 850,000 power outages as of 8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, after Hurricane Milton hit Florida overnight as a Category 3 storm. As customers are able to return home safely, the company expects the number of outages to continue to rise. Duke Energy Florida is conducting a damage assessment, weather and road conditions permitting, and will soon begin what is expected to be a lengthy restoration process.

“Hurricane Milton swept through our state with devastating intensity, leaving a trail of destruction that we and many Floridians cannot yet fully understand,” said Todd Fountain, storm director for Duke Energy Florida. “Our teams will continue to assess the damage to our infrastructure and equipment, which is a critical first step in the overall power restoration process. We encourage our customers to prepare for extended outages and we thank them for their patience.”

Duke Energy Florida is focused on restoring power as safely and quickly as possible, in a sequence that starts with public health and safety while considering how to restore power to the greatest number of customers as safely and quickly as possible can.

The company also reminds customers of the following safety tips:

• Remember that all power lines – and trees, branches, or anything that comes into contact with power lines – are live and dangerous.
  
• Stay away from downed power lines and areas where lines may be hidden, such as: B. Floods and debris.
  
• If a power line falls over a car you are in, stay in the car. If you MUST get out of the car due to a fire or other immediately life-threatening situation, do your best to jump away from the car and land on both feet. Be careful not to let any part of your body touch the car when your feet touch the ground.

Power outages can be reported in the following ways:

• Visit duke-energy.com on a desktop or mobile device.
  
• Use the Duke Energy mobile app (download from a smartphone via Apple Store or Google Play).
  
• Text 57801 (standard text and data rates may apply).
  
• Call the Automatic Outage Notification System at 800.228.8485.

Customers who are unable to receive power due to damage to the meter base, fuse box or customer’s own electrical wiring should contact their local municipality for assistance. Inspections may be required after repairs are completed.

For the most up-to-date information on power outages, visit Duke Energy’s outage map or by registering for outage alerts.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, has 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity and provides power 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, NC, 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 have a combined energy capacity of 54,800 megawatts. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is leading an ambitious transition to clean energy, emphasizing reliability, affordability and accessibility as the company works toward achieving 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 power generation, including expanded energy storage, renewable energy, natural gas and nuclear power.

For more information, visit 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 driving our energy transition.

Contact: Ana Gibbs
24 hours: 800.559.3853