Duke Energy Florida has been recognized by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) with an Emergency Response Award for its efforts in restoring power after Hurricane Milton. The award, given twice a year, honors electric companies for their recovery and assistance work following disruptions caused by severe weather or natural events. Recipients are selected through an international nomination process and judged by a panel.
Hurricane Milton struck Florida as a Category 3 storm on October 9, 2024. In response, Duke Energy Florida mobilized 16,000 resources to restore service. Within about four days, the company had restored power to 95% of the one million customers who experienced outages. As part of the restoration effort, Duke Energy Florida replaced more than 1,600 power poles, over 1,300 transformers, and nearly one million feet of wire and cable.
The company’s self-healing technology played a significant role during the event. Covering about 80% of its customer base, this system automatically detected outages and rerouted electricity where possible, preventing approximately 3.3 million hours of lost power.
“America’s electric companies and their dedicated workforces work tirelessly throughout the year to strengthen the energy grid and to restore power – and peace of mind – for American families and businesses after extreme weather events and natural disasters,” said EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney. “EEI is proud to recognize Duke Energy Florida for its extraordinary response efforts following Hurricane Milton. This recovery award reflects Duke Energy Florida and its storm response team’s incredible commitment to the customers and communities they serve.”
Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida’s storm director, commented on the team’s performance: “While Hurricane Milton was a devastating storm that left much of Florida’s west-central coast in the dark, our team’s strategic response helped get our customers’ lights back on as quickly as possible, allowing them to focus on what really matters, like their families and businesses, and begin to pick up the pieces of their lives. We know they depend on us for that, and it’s a responsibility we take extremely seriously – not just during hurricane season, but all year long.”
Duke Energy Florida serves around two million residential, commercial, and industrial customers across a large area in Florida with an energy capacity totaling 12,300 megawatts.
The company advises residents that hurricane season continues through much of the year. Customers are encouraged to prepare for future storms by visiting duke-energy.com/StormTips or downloading emergency apps from organizations such as Red Cross.
EEI represents investor-owned electric companies in the United States that provide electricity for nearly 250 million Americans nationwide.
More information about Duke Energy can be found at duke-energy.com.
