ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Duke Energy crewmembers are working around the clock to restore power back to customers in Western North Carolina following the destruction of Hurricane Helene, and officials say most customers could see their power restored by Friday.
There are nearly 2,000 line-workers staged at the Asheville Outlet Mall and this is out of 20,000 line-workers that are located across the Carolinas.
Bill Norton, a spokesperson with Duke Energy, told News 13 there are about 700 bucket trucks deployed, repairing the extensive damages caused by Hurricane Helene.
“The biggest challenge that we’ve had is that this has been a historic storm. We’ve never had one like this,” Norton said. “We’ve never had this level of flooding. So, it’s not just poles and wires that are down. It’s the backbone of our system…the transmission infrastructure. So, we’re repairing that first.”
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Crews have been making strides, Norton said.
“If you don’t see trucks in your neighborhood, that is because we’re upstream, in the power system repairing the larger highways of our energy infrastructure before we can get down to the main streets,” Norton said. “These guys are going as far as Spruce Pine and back.”
To ensure the safety of the crewmembers, Duke Energy has set up 140 sleep trailers, complete with shower facilities. Each trailer houses up to 18 crewmembers at a time. Crewmembers are provided hot meals each night. According to officials, they estimated feeding about 1,800 crewmembers Tuesday night.
“They leave at sunrise, and they don’t get back until sunrise. They got to rest somewhere, and this is where they come back and recharge,” Norton said.
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Duke Energy is estimating that power could be back to most customers soon.
“This is taking longer than traditional storms because of the transmission infrastructure damage. We are still targeting end of day Friday for the majority of our customers who are able to receive power,” Norton said.
To report a power outage, customers can text the word ‘out’ to 57801. They will receive times when the power in your area could be restored. Duke Energy will also provide customers with more information regarding the outages throughout the day.