About 94,000 homes and businesses in Greater Cincinnati remained without power as of 4 p.m. Wednesday, about 24 hours since severe thunderstorms swept through the area.
Local director of communications and public affairs for Duke Energy, John Juech, says more than 180,000 customers lost power Tuesday.
"Fallen trees, broken poles [and] a lot of damaged equipment are slowing restoration efforts, and then it's been a stormy day today as well, with a lot of lightning strikes and other difficult weather, so that has challenged us, as well," Juech told WVXU. "But we're out, we're fully staffed, we're restoring power as conditions allow. And the good news is we're bringing in a lot of additional resources from other states."
Juech says about 800 additional line workers are coming from Indiana and North Carolina. He says it’s still not clear how quickly they can get everyone back online, but that Duke will release a timeline by Wednesday evening.
"Help is on the way," he said. "I'm hopeful that will really help move things along."
Duke Energy's outage map showed most customers still without power are in Hamilton County (nearly 49,000), followed by Clermont County (about 21,000) and Kenton County (about 9,700).
In Covington's Wallace Woods neighborhood on Wednesday morning, Cindy Schicht and Gregory Jarosz sat outside watching a Duke Energy crew work across the street.
"Greg lives down the street and he made these chairs for me years ago," Schicht told WVXU. "And I said, 'Well, come up and sit.' I'm making coffee for everybody because I have a gas stove where we can boil the water, and I had some donuts left. We'll make a porch party out of it."
They say Duke told them power would likely not be restored until late Wednesday night, if not later. But, Schicht says they have what they need to make it through without electricity.
"We have a really good neighborhood, and we like having our neighbors around," Schicht said.
How to report an outage to Duke Energy
- Text OUT to 57801 (standard text and data charges may apply).
- Use the Duke Energy mobile app. Download the Duke Energy app from a smartphone via Apple Store or Google Play.
- Visit duke-energy.com/outages on a desktop computer or mobile device.
- Call the automated outage reporting system at 800.POWERON (800.769.3766).
- Visit the interactive outage map to find up-to-date information on power outages, including the total number of outages system-wide and estimated times of restoration.
If you need a place to go, Hamilton County EMA recommends a Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, the Salvation Army of Greater Cincinnati, or a local YMCA location. You should check that the location has power before visiting.
The Red Cross will operate an emergency shelter at the Hartwell Recreation Center at 8275 Vine Street, offering food and shelter in partnership with the city of Cincinnati. The shelter will open at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Storm cleanup efforts
Communities across the Tri-State are dealing with downed trees and branches, some still blocking streets.
Many communities are posting on social media and government websites about ways to get rid of tree debris. Some have drop-off locations, others provide curbside options.
In Covington, Mayor Ron Washington posted a video to social media Wednesday encouraging residents to look out for each other. He says people should help their neighbors, if they can.
"I realize that everyone doesn't have a pickup truck or a trailer," he said. "This is the time to help your neighbor out."
In Hamilton County, generally, there are a handful of drop-off locations. The county also lists some community recycling and yard waste programs.
Rumpke customers should refer to these curbside guidelines.
The city of Cincinnati also has a yard waste program.
Clermont County Emergency Management Agency Director Shawn Riley says crews are in damage assessment mode, and will soon shift to cleanup and debris management.
"The difference with this, as opposed to some of the other more recent incidents we've had, is that because the damage is so widespread, it will become more difficult to ask other places for help — because everybody else is going to be in the same spot," Riley told County Commissioners Wednesday morning.
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