Duke Energy outage update: 334K still without power, millions restored

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Duke Energy said hundreds of thousands of customers are still without power on Friday afternoon following damage from Hurricane Helene.

Millions of people were in the dark after the catastrophic storm ripped down trees and powerlines.

As of 2:30 p.m. on October 4, Duke Energy said more than 2.16 million customers have had power restored. Of that total, 85,000 customers had power restored in the last 24 hours.

Outages continue for 334,000 Duke Energy customers, though, across the western Carolinas. The company said they are on track to restore power for nearly all customers in the Upstate of South Carolina by Sunday.

Helicopters are being used to move power poles in the hardest-hit areas. Duke crews are also flying drones to assess additional damage like downed trees and washed-out equipment.

In North Carolina, Duke Energy is working to rebuild the backbone of its electric infrastructure, which was severely damaged.

“In the face of the extraordinary damage and destruction caused by Hurricane Helene, our communities have shown exceptional resiliency,” said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy’s storm director for the Carolinas. “Duke Energy will be with the communities we serve every step of the way as they recover.”