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Duke Energy sends information ahead of possible power outages

POLK COUNTY—This weekend could prove to see several storms and rain.

Hurricane Laura is making its way to the Carolinas after wreaking havoc on Louisiana this week, causing property damage, flooding and 6 deaths.

Saturday could prove to be a big rain maker, with storms beginning Friday night and isolated tornadoes are possible through the Upstate.

Showers and a few thunderstorms are possible early Saturday morning as well as later in the day, including gusts of winds from 30-40 mph. Hurricane Laura hit the gulf coast as a Category 4 Hurricane, which was one of the biggest storms to hit the area in history.

Hundreds of thousands of people were without power and water Friday in the Gulf areas and most of the people killed were hit by trees crashing into their homes.

Duke Energy has a detailed storm plan and is preparing to respond to outages if they occur in Polk County. Customers who experience a power outage 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 Duke Energy Carolinas at 1-800-POWERON (1-800-419-6356).

For storm or power restoration updates, follow Duke Energy on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DukeEnergy) and Facebook (

Duke Energy

). See the outage map at www.duke-energy.com/outages. Customers can also sign up to receive outage alerts. Tips on what to do before, during and after a storm can be found at www.duke-energy.com/safety-and-preparedness/storm-safety.

This information is also available at PolkNC.info: http://polknc.info/duke-energy-storm-plan-power-outage-resources-polk-county/.