Duke Energy readies 10K workers in Carolinas ahead of Hurricane Helene

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CHARLOTTE ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — Duke Energy is mobilizing 10,000 workers ahead of Hurricane Helene.

Those workers include lineworkers, tree trimmers and support personnel. Locally, workers are setting up at the Charlotte Motor Speedway to prepare for deployment early Friday morning.

“Our workers will be ready to begin assessing damage and restoring power as soon as the storm passes and conditions are safe,” said Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy’s storm director in the Carolinas. “In the meantime, we continue to monitor weather conditions and encourage customers to have a plan in place in case they experience an outage.”

Duke Energy is also asking customers to stay safe and prepare for heavy rain, wind and possible power outages. Customers can visit duke-energy.com/StormTips for what to do before during and after the storm.

Officials stress to stay away from fallen or sagging powerlines. Anything touching lines could also carry a charge, and pools of standing water could also be energized due to fallen lines in the water.

As of Thursday afternoon, Helene is a category 3 hurricane about to hit the west coast of Florida.

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