As of 3:25 p.m. Friday, 3,583 Duke Energy customers in Orange County are out of power, and the number has steadily been growing since the first outage was reported at 6:24 a.m.
Duke Energy is working on updates for the situation as it gets more information. Over 400 outages have been reported in Chapel Hill and around the UNC campus.
There is a total outage in an area east of Mebane affecting 2,034 people, caused by fallen trees or limbs, according to Duke Energy's website. Christine Pulley, a spokesperson for Duke Energy, said the outage was also possibly due to a fuse shortage in the area.
There are also power outages across Hillsborough. According to a press release from the town, a centuries-old red oak tree fell on power lines along Calvin Street. The tree did not cause injuries or damage houses.
According to the release, Duke Energy was on the site at 10 a.m. removing the tree from the power lines and restoring power. Orange Rural Fire Department and the Hillsborough Police Department also responded to secure the area and direct traffic.
Wake County has 27,941 people without power – the largest in the state outside of Wilmington and New Hanover County.
Increased wind speeds knocking down trees have been the primary cause of the outages, Pulley said. The company is sending crews when possible to assess damage, but full repairs are unlikely during the hurricane as the company awaits full storm impacts.
Pulley said the company does not have an estimated time of power restoration at the moment.
For more information, visit Duke Energy's outages map. To report an outage, do not call 911, the county said. You can call Duke Energy at 1-800-419-6356, or if you have PEMC, call 1-800-449-2667.
