Duke Energy prepares for potential severe weather in Indiana; encourages customers to plan ahead

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Duke Energy is monitoring and preparing for a potential severe weather system that may bring a mix of high winds, snow and cold temperatures to Indiana late today and early tomorrow morning that could cause power outages.

“Forecasts show the potential for strong, gusty winds and some snow throughout many parts of Duke Energy Indiana’s service territory, as well as bitter cold temperatures,” said Anthony Brown, Duke Energy’s Midwest storm director. "Our crews are prepared to restore power as safely and quickly as possible if there are outages. We urge customers to follow the instructions of Indiana emergency management officials and have a plan in place in case they experience an outage.”

Below are some tips to help customers be ready:

Before the storm

Have a plan in place for what you will do if you lose power. Keep a storm emergency supply kit handy. A typical kit might include medicines, water, nonperishable foods and other supplies that might be hard to find after a storm hits.

Maintain a plan to move family members – especially those with special needs – to a safe, alternative location in case an extended power outage occurs.

Charge cellphones, computers and other electronic devices in advance of storms to stay connected to important safety and response information. Consider purchasing portable chargers and make sure they are fully charged as well.

Keep a portable radio or TV or a NOAA weather radio on hand to monitor weather forecasts and important information from state and local officials.

After the storm

Stay away from power lines that have fallen or are sagging. Consider all lines energized, as well as trees, limbs or anything in contact with lines.

If a power line falls across a car that you are 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.

If you are driving and come across a utility crew working along the road to repair power, move over or slow down to keep crews and yourself safe.

Outage reporting

After a storm hits, restoring power as safely and quickly as possible is our top priority, while keeping our customers informed. Customers who experience an outage during a storm can report it the following ways:

Visit duke-energy.com on a desktop computer or mobile device.

Use the Duke Energy mobile app. Download the Duke Energy App from a smartphone via Apple Store or Google Play.

Text OUT to 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply).

Call the automated outage-reporting system at 800.343-3525.

Visit our interactive outage map to find up-to-date information on power outages, including the total number of outages systemwide and estimated times of restoration.

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