Duke Energy earns EEI’s ‘Emergency Recovery Award’ for power restoration efforts in Carolinas after Hurricane Florence

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy has received the Edison Electric Institute's (EEI) "Emergency Recovery Award" for the company's outstanding power restoration efforts after Hurricane Florence hit North Carolina and South Carolina in September 2018.

The Emergency Recovery Award is given to select EEI member companies to recognize their extraordinary efforts to restore power to customers after service disruptions caused by severe weather conditions or other natural events.

The winners are chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process. Duke Energy received the award this week during EEI's Winter Board and Chief Executives Meeting in Palm Beach, Fla.

"Hurricane Florence caused historic flooding along the Carolinas' coastal communities and more than 1.8 million of our customers lost power," said Harry Sideris, Duke Energy senior vice president and chief distribution officer.

"While flooding presented some unique challenges to our restoration efforts, we were able to restore power to nearly 1.2 million customers in the first three days after the storm made landfall. We are forever grateful for our customers' patience and kindness during that time, and for our government partners and the dozens of utilities who worked alongside us to restore power and normalcy to our communities," Sideris said.

"The dedication of Duke Energy's crews to restore service throughout the Carolinas after Hurricane Florence illustrates our industry's commitment to customers," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "Duke Energy's crews worked tirelessly in hazardous conditions to quickly and safely restore power. They are truly deserving of this award."

Duke Energy continues to learn from and improve its performance after every storm.

For example, after Hurricane Irma in 2017, the company developed a way to use geographic information system (GIS) technology to monitor changing road conditions to help crews reach power outage locations safely and quickly. (See related story: https://illumination.duke-energy.com/articles/this-technology-helped-crews-improve-hurricane-response)

The company also has improved communication with customers after major storms, updating them with proactive text messages and emails.

About Duke Energy

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing its energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves.

A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2018 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' 2018 "America's Best Employers" list.

More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials.

Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

About EEI

EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for 220 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international electric companies as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.

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SOURCE Duke Energy