RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As of 4 p.m., Progress Energy reports 19,800 customers without power in North Carolina as a result of Tropical Storm Ernesto, down from 43,400 reported at 10 a.m. The number of customers without power at one time peaked at about 63,000 between 6 and 7 a.m. today. However, the total number of customers affected overall by the storm was much higher, since workers were making repairs in southeastern North Carolina even as Ernesto was creating new outages farther north and inland.
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The next outage update will be available between 9 and 10 p.m. Progress Energy will not have revised numbers before that time.
Progress Energy crews are working to restore service as quickly as possible in eastern North Carolina and the Triangle, and they continue to make significant progress. The company expects to have 80 percent of customers who lost power restored by the end of the day today and the remaining customers whose homes are capable of receiving power restored by midnight Saturday.
Progress Energy has a work force of more than 1,000 workers - including company and contract line & service crews and contract tree crews - working in storm restoration, representing more than twice the normal complement.
Customers are asked to call 1-800-419-6356 to report an outage.
Customers out by county as of 4 p.m.
Beaufort 294
Carteret 70
Chatham 68
Columbus 2
Craven 4,155
Cumberland 2
Duplin 1,059
Edgecombe 8
Franklin 638
Granville 443
Greene 114
Halifax 107
Harnett 9
Johnston 3,302
Jones 46
Lenoir 102
Nash 2,333
New Hanover 361
Onslow 1,005
Orange 6
Pamlico 592
Pender 473
Person 2
Pitt 66
Sampson 874
Vance 610
Wake 2,063
Warren 280
Wayne 350
Wilson 292
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