Getting a jump on what could be a large-scale restoration effort, Duke Energy is preparing to send over 1,400 Midwest line workers, contractors and related support personnel to Florida and the Carolinas to help repair power outages expected as a result of Hurricane Irma.
Specifically from Ohio and Kentucky, included in this number are 770 line workers, tree trimmers, damage assessors and underground specialists, as well as other administrative, supervisory and safety personnel.
The crews will be deployed in two waves: the first wave will leave Saturday, Sept. 9, and the second wave will leave on Sunday, Sept. 10.
After leaving their home areas, the crews will report to an area outside of Florida to meet with other utility crews and await further instructions. From there, they will be dispatched to storm-damaged areas in Florida.
“Because we’re a large utility, we can deploy some of our local personnel to help focus on specific storm-damaged areas and restore power to customers more quickly,” said Jim Henning, president Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky. “Many of these workers are seasoned line crews, having worked in several large-scale storm restoration efforts.”
During this deployment, regular non-emergency work throughout the Duke Energy service territories may be rescheduled.
However, company officials plan to keep enough workers on hand locally for any emergencies that may occur.
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky’s operations provide electric service to about 850,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in a 3,000-square-mile service area and natural gas service to approximately 529,000 customers.
