Duke Energy makes power outage data available on mobile devices

CHARLOTTE, N.C. and ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As Duke Energy prepares for the impact of Hurricane Matthew, customers can sign up for real-time power outage notification through their mobile devices.

The free service automatically provides registered customers with information about specific power outages, including estimated restoration times, cause of outage, Duke Energy crew status, and outage start and estimated end times, and number of customers affected.

As part of the program, customers can text OUT to 57801 to report an outage from their mobile phone. To stay informed of future power outages, customers sign up to receive power outage alerts from Duke Energy by texting REG to 57801 or choose from text, email or phone alerts by enrolling at: www.duke-energy.com/OutageAlerts.

Almost 1.4 million customers have signed up for the service so far.

"We're working hard to provide customers with real-time information so they can better plan their lives when impacted by a power outage," said Gayle Lanier, Duke Energy senior vice president of customer services. "We recognize being without power is inconvenient, and our goal is to keep our customers informed during an outage."

Today, Duke Energy's outage notification service received Chartwell's "2016 Best Practices Silver Award" at the organization's 2016 Customer Experience Conference in Orlando.

The program launched in Duke Energy Progress and Duke Energy Florida in August 2015, and in Duke Energy Carolinas, Duke Energy Indiana, Duke Energy Ohio and Duke Energy Kentucky in November 2015.

In preparation for Hurricane Matthew, Duke Energy recommends customers double-check their readiness for possible power outages:

Prepare emergency kits -- Check your supplies and be sure to have the following items in an easy-to-find location:

• Flashlights with extra batteries
• Portable radio with fresh batteries
• First-aid kit
• Canned or packaged food that can be prepared without cooking or refrigeration
• Several days' supply of drinking water
• Portable (and fully charged) cell phone charger
• Prescription medication

Charge all electronic devices -- Charge cell phones, computers and other electronic devices in advance of the storm to stay connected to important safety and response information.

Determine alternative plans -- 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.

About Duke Energy

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is an S&P 100 Stock Index company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. 

The Duke Energy News Center serves as a multimedia resource for journalists and features news releases, helpful links, photos and videos. Hosted by Duke Energy, illumination is an online destination for stories about remarkable people, innovations, and community and environmental topics. It also offers glimpses into the past and insights into the future of energy.

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Contact: Media Relations 24-Hour: 800.559.3853 Twitter: @DukeEnergy

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SOURCE Duke Energy