(WSPA) – Power outages caused by Hurricane Helene could leave people without power for multiple days in some areas of the Carolinas.
According to a Friday update from Duke Energy, more than 1 million homes and businesses were without power, even after crews managed to restore power to more than 380,000 people on Friday.
The company said Saturday, “Nearly all customers outside of the western parts of the Carolinas should have power restored by 11:59 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 29.”
Many outages are estimated to hopefully be fixed before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.
Multiple municipal and state energy cooperative groups, including Broad River Electric and Laurens Electric, said they were also being impacted by downed transmission lines on Friday.
According to Duke Energy, more than 11,000 line workers, damage assessors, and others are working to restore power to impacted areas.
According to the National Weather Service, multiple parts of the Upstate and a large portion of Western North Carolina remain under a flood warning as rivers continue to rise and crest over the next few days.
Even as conditions improve, officials urge caution when navigating the area.
So far at least 11 people have been killed since the storm passed over the area. At least six have been killed by fallen trees.
911 lines are down in Spartanburg County for an indefinite amount of time. Until lines are restored, please call 864-596-2076 for emergencies in Spartanburg County.
911 phone lines were down in Union County, according to Union County Emergency Management. 911 phone lines were also down in Cherokee County, according to a call sent out to residents. If you have an emergency, you are asked to call 864-487-2747.
The Haywood County Board of Commissioners implemented a curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. beginning on Friday. The board said the decision had been made to ensure the safety and well-being of the community following the storm.