FARMERSBURG, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— Duke Energy has reportedly restored power to over 73,000 of its customers after the severe weather that went through the Midwest.
According to a news release from Duke Energy, more than 100,000 power outages across almost all of the 28 districts Duke Energy serves were caused by the inclement weather. Crews are still working to restore power to the nearly 31,000 still without power as of 6 a.m. Thursday. Duke Energy said that they have power line technicians, tree trimmers, damage assessors, and other support personnel out restoring power and analyzing damages.
The news release states that wind gusts reached up to 70 miles per hour in some areas, leading to the downed trees, poles, and power lines. Duke Energy has stated that they have called in more than 500 additional crews to support Indiana’s workforce and check on the hardest hit areas. They list those as Bartholomew, Hamilton, Monroe, Union, and Vigo County.
Duke Energy stated that it prioritizes essential services like hospitals and water pumping, and treatment facilities. If you’d like a more in-depth look at how Duke Energy goes about restoring power, you can click here.
“I want to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as our crews work quickly and safely to restore power,” said Clint Carnahan, general manager of emergency preparedness at Duke Energy. “We’re bringing in hundreds of additional resources to supplement our local workforce and help with power restoration in the hardest hit areas.”
If you’d like to know the estimated restoration times for your area, you can click this link. If you need to report an outage, you can visit their website, use the mobile app, text OUT to 57801, or call the automated outage reporting system at 1-800-343-3525. For tips on what to do before, during, or after a storm, you can click here.