North Wake News

Duke Energy has restored power to over 31,000 customers in southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky after severe storms disrupted services in the region. As of 11:45 a.m., around 30,000 customers remain without power.

The storms, which hit overnight, caused substantial damage through heavy rain and winds estimated at 80 to 100 mph. This led to downed power lines and infrastructure damage, particularly east of Greater Cincinnati and in Northern Kentucky.

Repair efforts are ongoing as the company assesses the damage. Estimated times for full restoration will be provided once these assessments are complete. Amy Spiller, the president of Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky, stated, "Our teams made significant progress overnight, repairing broken poles and downed power lines, and we’re bringing in line crews from sister utilities and other states in the Duke Energy service territory to assist. We’re focused on restoring service quickly and safely, and we appreciate our customers’ patience as we respond."

The process of power restoration prioritizes repairing large power lines and infrastructure impacting the most customers. Only after these are restored does the focus shift to individual neighborhoods and homes.

Customers can report outages via the company's website, mobile app, text, or by calling the automated outage reporting system. Information about staying informed and reporting issues is available through these communication channels.

Duke Energy emphasizes the importance of safety around downed power lines, advising customers to assume all downed lines are live. Customers should report any such incidents immediately and follow safety protocols if trapped in a vehicle by a power line.

The company also warns customers to be vigilant against potential scams following the storm, advising that Duke Energy will not request payment details over the phone or ask for prepaid cards.

Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky serves a large customer base across Ohio and Kentucky, providing both electric and natural gas services. The parent company, Duke Energy, is a leading utility service in the United States, with 8.4 million electric customers and ongoing initiatives to build a sustainable energy future.