COLUMBUS, Ind. – Duke Energy has restored power to approximately 99,700 Indiana customers who were affected by the severe and damaging storms that ripped through Indiana on Wednesday. Wind gusts as high as 70 miles an hour in some areas resulted in widespread power outages. About 16,800 Hoosier customers remain out of service as of late Thursday.
In Columbus and Bartholomew County, Duke Energy officials said that over 1200 homes/businesses still do not have power as of 4 a.m. on Friday. They estimate all those residents will have their electricity back before midnight Friday. Bartholomew County REMC has restored power to all but four of its customers.
“We’ve made a lot of progress, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us,” said Clint Carnahan, general manager of emergency preparedness at Duke Energy. “The widespread nature of this storm, which affected nearly all of the 28 Indiana districts we serve, has made power restoration especially challenging. We have a workforce of approximately 1,000 in the field responding. We appreciate our customers’ patience as we finish the job.”
Customers who experienced extensive damage to their properties or flooding may require additional time for restoration. During power restoration, the company’s priority is to repair large power lines and other infrastructure that will return power to the greatest number of customers as safely, quickly, and efficiently as possible.
The most up-to-date information about Duke Energy power outages can be viewed here.
