We've received this update from Theo Lane with Duke Energy about his company's storm preparations
Storm preparedness and response (Carolinas-specific)
· Our staff of experienced meteorologists continue to monitor Hurricane Matthew and develop detailed forecasts our storm response staff can use to develop specific restoration plans.
· We’ve stocked our trucks and warehouses, completed our planning based on Matthew’s latest projected track and coordinated with local, state and national emergency personnel to ensure we optimize our response.
· As part of the company's preparation efforts, teams completed aerial inspections of the main transmission lines in the coastal North Carolina area to verify there were no danger trees or areas of concern.
· We've identified potential flood zones and trained workers on how to access alternate travel routes to reach damaged areas.
· We've finalized resource plans and more than 2,300 line workers are prepared to descend on the communities where damage and outages occur.
· Customers in communities where the storm is expected to hit need to finalize plans now to stay safe. If you lose power, response crews will begin work AFTER the storm has exited the area and winds have subsided.
· For employee safety, Duke Energy line technicians cannot perform elevated work in bucket trucks when winds are above 30 miles per hour
Safety reminders
Customers should plan now, in the event they lose power. Check 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
Don’t forget to fill vehicles with gas in advance and ensure you have easy access to cash, as ATMs and credit card machines may not be working during or directly after the storm if there are extensive outages.
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.
Charge cell phones in advance of the storm to stay connected to important safety and response information.
Stay safe. If severe weather moves through the area, watch for downed or sagging power lines. Consider all lines energized as well as trees, limbs or anything in contact with lines. Please report downed power lines to Duke Energy.
If a power line falls across a car that you're in, stay in the car. If you MUST get out of the car due to a fire or other immediate life-threatening situation, do your best to jump clear of the car and land on both feet. Be sure that no part of your body is touching the car when your feet touch the ground.
“Move Over and Slow Down” Law: The “move over” law requires drivers to move over one lane when two or more lanes are available in each direction to make way for emergency responders, tow trucks, DOT incident management assistance patrols and roadside work crews, such as utility crews. On roads with only one traffic lane in each direction, drivers must slow down and be prepared to stop. Violators could face fines.
Reporting outages
Stay Connected. There are several ways for customers to report outages and get the most up-to-date restoration information:
Online – Customers can report an outage online at www.duke-energy.com/outages. They can also access the outage map online from a computer or mobile device. Once on the map, customers can zoom in to their specific location and hover over the outage indicator nearest their home. A message box will appear showing total customers affected, status and an estimated time of restoration, if available: http://outagemap.duke-energy.com
Text message – Customers can text OUT to 57801 to report an outage from their mobile phone. Be sure to use the mobile phone associated with your account. To stay informed of future power outages, 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 duke-energy.com/OutageAlerts.
Phone – Customers can report outages and get up-to-date restoration times by calling the company's automated outage-reporting system at 800.228.8485.
Follow us on Facebook – Facebook (www.facebook.com/duke.energy/) and Twitter (twitter.com/dukeenergy) for up-to-date information on planning and response efforts
Hurricane preparation at nuclear/fossil plants
Nuclear power plants are the most robust in the U.S. infrastructure, with reactor containment structures of steel-reinforced concrete engineered to withstand extreme natural events. Our nuclear plant operators are trained one out of every five weeks on simulators to safely manage extreme events, including hurricanes. Hurricanes produce a consistent wind speed of at least 74 miles per hour and can reach as high as 160 miles per hour. Operators track these storms days in advance of the storm making landfall to take actions as mandated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s guidelines and the nuclear plants’ emergency preparedness plans. These include:
o Personnel inspect the entire facility and secure or move any equipment that could possibly become airborne due to high winds. They also verify weather-tight doors and ensure water intakes are prepared.
o We evaluate increasing staff kept on site so there are personnel available to respond to any contingency.
o Each plant site has numerous emergency backup diesel generators that are tested and ready to provide electricity for critical operations if electric power from the grid is lost. As part of the pre-storm inspection, diesel fuel tanks are checked and topped off to ensure there is a minimum of seven days of fuel to power the generators.
o Plant personnel monitor storm conditions, paying close attention to the path of a storm and wind speeds at (and projected for) the site.
o As a precaution, reactors will be shut down at least two hours before the onset of hurricane-force winds at the site (typically between 70 and 75 miles per hour).
· We routinely conduct emergency planning drills/exercises at fossil and nuclear plants using various scenarios, including storm events and other natural disasters.
· Our fossil plants have emergency preparedness plans that take into consideration storm events, including hurricanes and flooding. The plants follow their procedures for securing the site and preparing for possible flooding well in advance of the storm.
· In the event of a hurricane, many of our customers will evacuate to areas that will not be impacted. This reduces our load and allows us to put our fossil plants in a “safe condition,” if needed, to allow employees to leave. We store supplies in the event that employees need to continue operating the plant.
Hydro operation preparations
Duke Energy is monitoring storm forecasts and making preparations for potential rainfall from Hurricane Matthew. The Catawba River basin has been in an extended drought throughout the summer and into fall and currently has storage capacity for additional rainfall. With the current forecasted track of Hurricane Matthew, we do not anticipate lakes along the Catawba-Wateree and the Yadkin-PeeDee rivers to spill.
As always, we encourage those living along lakes, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone areas to pay special attention to changing weather conditions and take any necessary precautions. Duke Energy encourages those in the area to stay alert to changing conditions. Updated lake levels are available any time at http://www.duke-energy.com/lakes/levels.asp and at 800-829-5253.
For your convenience, online lake level information is now smart phone-friendly. We will continue to closely monitor conditions and provide updates if conditions change.
