Western North Carolina lights up as power returns after prolonged outages

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Homes across Western North Carolina are lit up with excitement as power returns to customers who have been out weeks in some cases.

At the height of the storm, 3.6 million Duke Energy customers across the Carolinas were without power. In North Carolina, that number has been reduced to about 1,000, with the majority in the hardest-hit areas of Bat Cave and Chimney Rock.

It is a message from customers on Windswept Drive in Asheville that said it all.

When Duke Energy subcontractors couldn’t finish work in the neighborhood within one day, anxious customers left a reminder on a nearby fallen tree.

The subcontracting crew from Ohio proved it had the customer’s backs, leaving behind their own reassurances.

They restored power the next day.

A neighbor who spotted the exchange told News 13 about what getting power back to their neighborhood meant.

I snapped a pic of a message someone scrawled on the tree to the lineman crew who had left for the day. I walked back to the tree the next day and discovered that the linemen from Ohio wrote back. They indeed had our backs! And we had power. I’ll never ever take electricity for granted again," said LeeAnn Donnelly.

Duke Energy credits partnerships with several agencies that have helped them get the lights back for the majority of their customers over the last three weeks.

DUKE ENERGY SHOWS HELENE'S EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO SUBSTATION AS CREWS WORK TO RESTORE POWER

“Cane Creek, near Roan Mountain – we didn’t even think we could get into that area yet, but DOT moved heaven and earth. That was the phrase our crews used to get us into that community. Little Switzerland, same thing – another spot where we didn’t have road access, and in this case, it was the National Park Service who managed to get our crews in using a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway that’s still not safe for tourists. But, they enabled a temporary fix that got us through for power restoration,” said Bill Norton, Duke Energy spokesman.

In areas around Bat Cave and Chimney Rock, technology has sped up restoration. Duke Energy has used helicopters to transport power poles into hard-to-reach communities.

"In the past, it might have taken a full day for crews to trudge up the mountainside bringing that, dragging that pole behind them. Instead... that process was shortened to 10 to 15 minutes per pole. So technology advancements like that really help us," said Norton.

It has made a significant impact on another area particularly hard hit during Helene. Duke Energy has estimated restoration in Spruce Pine could take more than a month. Three weeks in, just five customers remain impacted.

Some of the smaller electric providers are also making progress.

On Friday, Oct. 18, French Broad Electric reported 1,389 outages in Mitchell County, 3,500 in Yancey County, and 230 in Madison County. Haywood EMC, as of Friday, was reporting 23 active outages.

CREWS FROM ACROSS NORTH AMERICA WORK TO RESTORE POWER AFTER HELENE

Duke Energy’s spokesman Bill Norton also pointed out that Duke Energy is pledging to help customers struggling to pay their bills in the wake of the storm.

We’ve got folks who lost their homes, folks who don’t have a job to return to. So for customers who have needs and are facing hardships in paying for their power bill or any other way we can help, we’re taking a flexible, personal approach to responding to their needs,” said Norton.

Duke Energy initially suspended any disconnections for customers in the Carolinas during the storm.

Now, they are promising flexibility for those struggling to pay bills.

They also encourage qualifying customers with income constraints to register for their Share the Light program which assists with utility bills.

The Share the Light Fund is a customer assistance program funded by employees, shareholders and voluntary customer donations to help residents pay for utility expenses such as electric, natural gas, oil or wood.

In addition to the funds provided by this collaboration, donations are matched up to $500,000 by the Duke Energy Foundation annually.