More than 160,000 Duke Energy customers in Ohio and Kentucky remain without power as second round of storms is expected

Duke Energy crews have been working quickly and safely to assess damage, clear debris and restore power after severe storms caused major destruction across Greater Cincinnati on Tuesday. More than 180,000 customers lost power as severe storms moved through Greater Cincinnati on Tuesday. About 160,000 Duke Energy customers remain without power as of 10 p.m., including about 134,000 customers in southwest Ohio and 26,000 customers in Northern Kentucky. Crews have restored power to thousands of customers, but fallen trees, broken poles and damaged equipment continue to slow restoration efforts. Duke Energy serves about 765,000 electric customers in Ohio and 155,000 electric customers in Kentucky. Additional severe weather is expected late Tuesday night into early Wednesday, with the potential to cause additional outages and further slow restoration efforts.

Andy Cassidy, Duke Energy storm director: "Our crews will be working around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible for our customers. "We've been monitoring this storm system and were prepared. Even so, we've seen an even greater impact and significant damage than anticipated across the region, and another round of severe weather could create additional challenges. "We're still assessing damage in many areas, but customers should be prepared for extended outages, particularly where crews must rebuild sections of the electric system. "We appreciate our customers' patience and understanding as we work to get everyone back on line."

Lineworkers continue to assess damage and restore power as conditions allow. The company has also used self-healing technology to remotely reroute power around damaged equipment. In areas where road conditions remain too hazardous for travel, Duke Energy will deploy lineworkers, damage assessors and tree trimmers as soon as they can safely reach the damaged infrastructure. For safety, crews cannot perform elevated work in bucket trucks when winds reach 30 mph or higher, which may slow restoration in some areas. Duke Energy restores power using a process designed to return service to the greatest number of customers as quickly and safely as possible while prioritizing facilities that support public health and safety. As damage assessments continue, Duke Energy will communicate updates – including estimated times of restoration – to customers through the company's Outage Alerts and its Outage Map. Customers can also stay updated via the Duke Energy smartphone app available via Apple Store or Google Play.

Stay safe: Stay away from downed or sagging power lines and anything they're touching, operate generators safely and follow other post-storm tips. Report hazards: Call 911 and Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky at 800.543.5599. Keep roads clear: Move over for first responders and utility trucks and treat intersections with nonworking signals as four-way stops.

Duke Energy Ohio & Kentucky, subsidiaries of Duke Energy, provide electric service to 920,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in a 3,000-square-mile service area, and natural gas service to 563,000 customers in a 2,650-square-mile service area, in Ohio and Kentucky. Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK ), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. , is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,700 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Kentucky. Duke Energy is executing an energy modernization strategy, keeping customer value at the forefront as it invests in electric grid upgrades and efficient generation resources to strengthen the system and serve growing energy needs.