Hurricane Florence Could Knock Out Power, Vital Infrastructure for Weeks, FEMA Warns

It could take weeks before power is restored and vital infrastructure repaired once Hurricane Florence ends its assault on the Southeast, the Federal Emergency Management Administration warned this week.

While uncertainty remains on where the brunt of the storm will occur, FEMA officials say damage from high winds and flooding will leave areas without power for an extended period.

“The storm is going to definitely knock out power for days into weeks,” Jeffrey Byard, Associate Administrator for FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, told reporters during a Tuesday press conference. “It’s going to destroy infrastructure, going to destroy homes.”

While the National Hurricane Center continues to tweak the forecast as the storm approaches, Florence is expected to move slowly through the Carolinas and Southeast through this weekend, bringing catastrophic inland rainfall flooding, life-threatening storm surge and destructive winds.

“We anticipate Hurricane Florence to be a historic storm that will impact all customers,” said Grace Rountree, a spokeswoman for the Charlotte, North Carolina-based Duke Energy, which serves 4 million customers in the Carolinas, Reuters reports.

Anytime winds are expected to exceed 73 mph, equivalent to just shy of a Category 1 hurricane, nuclear plants are required to shut down two hours before the winds arrive. While nuclear plants are built to withstand hurricane-force winds, they are required to shut down as a protective measure in case off-site power is lost, S&P Global reports. There are 12 nuclear plants in the Carolinas. 

(MORE: Three Reasons Slow-Moving Tropical Storms and Hurricanes Are the Worst)

Other smaller cooperatives that serve another 2.5 million customers in North Carolina are also readying repair crews.

Duke echoes FEMA's warning, saying it could take weeks to restore power.

“The high winds expected with Hurricane Florence will cause widespread damage and power outages and restoration will be a challenge because of downed trees, extensive damage to power equipment, flooding, etc,” Duke spokeswoman Meghan Miles told the Charlotte Observer, adding “repairs will be lengthy and difficult.”

In a press release, Duke noted that restoring power after a massive storm can be "extremely challenging for utility repair crews."

Travel and work conditions can slow down repair work. In flooded areas, crews must wait for waters to recede before they can enter the area and make repairs.

Even before power can be restored, crews must initially assess the extent of the damage, which can take up to 24 hours or more. They must then determine which crews, equipment and supplies are needed for the necessary repairs.

The company noted that Florence could surpass the destruction of last year's Hurricane Matthew, which left 1.5 million Duke customers in the dark. It cost an estimated $125 million to rebuild sections of its power grid, which included restringing 300 miles of downed wire and replacing 5,500 utility poles toppled by the storm, the News & Observers reports.