When will the power come back on? What to know about outages in the Triangle

More than 10,000 customers remain without power across the Triangle Thursday morning. Here’s what we know about the storm-related power outages.

How many people are without power?

Here’s how many Duke Energy customers lacked power as of 7:10 a.m. on Thursday, according to a Duke Energy outage map.

• Durham County: 10,203
• Orange County: 65
• Wake County: 116
• Johnston County: 4

If you live in the Duke Energy coverage area, you can call Duke Energy Progress to report an outage here: (800) 769-3766 (800-POWERON), or (800) 419-6356. You can also text the word OUT to 57801.

Nearly 200 customers served by Piedmont Electric Membership Corp. and Wake Electric Membership Corp. in Orange, Durham and Wake counties had power restored after Wednesday afternoon.

For an outage map updated in real-time by the electric cooperatives go to this link.

What to do if I see a downed power line?

According to Duke Energy:

• Never touch a downed power line. If you see a downed power line, call your local utility immediately. Don’t touch the line or anything that is in contact with it.
• Don’t attempt to move the line. Keep others away, and consider every wire on the ground to be energized and dangerous.

How long do refrigerated foods last? What food should I throw out?

You’ll need to discard all perishable foods (including meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers) if your refrigerator has been without power for four hours, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. If frozen foods in your freezer have thawed, you should throw those out too.

Here’s a list of foods that should be discarded if they reach above 41°F for more than four hours,:

• Meat, poultry, fish, seafood and meat substitutes. This includes those that are raw, thawing or cooked and leftover.
• Salads made from meat, tuna, shrimp, chicken or eggs.
• Gravies, stuffings or broths.
• Lunch meats, hot dogs, bacon, sausage or dried beef.
• Milk, sour cream, buttermilk, evaporated milk, ice cream, yogurt, eggnog or plant-based alternatives.
• Opened infant formula.
• Soft or shredded cheeses.
• Egg products, including fresh eggs and egg dishes.
• Oyster and fish sauces.
• Opened cream-based dressings.
• Opened pasta sauce.
• Cream-filled pastries, custard or cheese filled pies, quiches or cheesecake.
• Refrigerator biscuits, rolls and doughs.
• Cooked pasta, rice potatoes, pasta salads or fresh pasta.
• Pre-cut, pre-washed packaged leafy greens.
• Cooked vegetables or tofu.
• Opened vegetable juice.
• Cooked potatoes or potato dishes.
• Commercial garlic in oil.
• Cut tomatoes and cut melons.
• Leftovers such as casseroles, soups and stews.
• If open mayonnaise, tartar sauce or horseradish reaches a temperature above 50°F for eight hours, toss it.

When will power be restored?

Most Duke Energy customers still without power should see it restored by Thursday evening.

“Technicians worked through the night to repair damage caused by yesterday’s storm,” a message on Duke Energy’s outage map stated. “As work wraps up in areas not significantly impacted, crews will travel to the regions hardest hit to assist. In particular, the counties of Durham and Guilford will require extra manpower. Additional assessment will be needed in those areas before estimated restoration times are available.”

This story was originally published August 17, 2023 at 7:30 AM.