Duke Energy storm response, update

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Saturday, Oct. 3

Significant rain continues to fall across the Carolinas. As of 8 a.m., approximately 24,000 customers are without power; however these numbers continue to fluctuate. Some of the hardest hit areas include the counties of Buncombe, Randolph, Marlboro, Sumpter, Mecklenburg, Rowan and Guilford.

We continue to closely monitor and prepare for potential weather-related impacts on flooding-prone communities, including those where we may need to temporarily disconnect electric service until high water levels recede.

Key Messages

· Duke Energy’s meteorologist continue to monitor weather conditions and the potential for outages remains high as heavy rain and winds batter our already saturated service area.

· The combination of saturated ground, heavy rain and moderate wind gusts create a perfect situation for downed trees and power lines.

· As adverse weather conditions are affecting our entire Carolinas service area, we are keeping line and tree crews in their local regions to respond to outages as they occur. About 500 additional resources are on standby in Georgia and Florida to be deployed as needed to assist local crews with power restorations.

· Duke Energy’s detailed storm response plan is designed to be flexible, and allow resources to be deployed when and where they are needed most.

· Duke Energy is aggressively moving water through the system to ensure there is ample storage for the anticipated inflows from the forecasted rains. This includes moving water through the Upper Catawba region from Lake James through Lookout Shoals, as well as moving water through the Lower Catawba system and lowering Lake Wateree.

Safety Reminders:

· With downed trees, come downed power lines. 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.

· The heavy rains in our service area will make roads treacherous and visibility poor. If at all possible, avoid unnecessary travel on rain-soaked roads, as cars hitting utility poles can be a significant cause of power outages during severe weather.

· Downed lines will be hard to see in the rain and can potentially be hidden in standing water. And utility crews will be working along roads. If you encounter large pools of standing water, stop, back up and choose another path.

· Utility crews will also be hard to see in rainy conditions. If you see utility crews working along the road, move over or slow down. Help keep them safe so they can help restore service to our customers.

· Be prepared in the event you lose power for an extended period of time. 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.

· People who live along lakes, streams or other low-lying or flood prone areas, should pay special attention the forecast and changing weather conditions.

Reporting outages

Customers who experience an outage during the storm should call the automated outage-reporting systems for their respective utility:

· DEC: 800.POWERON · (1-800-769-3766)

· DEP: · 800.419.6356

· Customers may also report an outage or view current outages using our online outage map. Here’s a link to our storm page à · http://www.duke-energy.com/news/outage-information.asp and here’s a brief tutorial on how to use it à · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kglk-3vdbF8

· Customers who report an outage can choose to receive updates via text messaging until their outage is restored.

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

Duke Energy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DukeEnergy

Duke Energy on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DukeEnergy

Lake Level Information

For real-time lake level information – available 24 / 7 – visit www.duke-energy.com/lakes or call 1-800-829-5253

· As part of our effort to prepare for the anticipated heavy inflows, Lake Wateree was lowered to 95.5 feet. For other lakes in the system, we are focused on doing all we can to lower levels by safely and efficiently moving water through the system.

· Levels at Lookout Shoals are increasing with spilling, but levels are not expected to exceed 101.5 feet. Moving the water through the system in advance helped to add storage capacity upstream and reduce the impact to Lookout Shoals from the expected heavy inflows.

· The larger lakes in the system are well prepared to manage the anticipated heavy inflows due to the recent drought conditions.

· Duke Energy is proactively communicating with lake neighbors in areas where they may see the impact of our preparation efforts and those in low-lying or flood prone areas. In addition, the community can monitor lake levels at · www.duke-energy.com/lakes and through Duke Energy’s lake information phone line, · 800-829-5253.

· The community is reminded to stay safe and be alert to changing weather conditions. People who live along lakes, rivers and other low-lying, flood-prone areas should take any necessary precautions.

Additional information will be shared after morning update calls.