Noon update:
Duke Energy reported more than 1,100 customers without power east of Columbus and about 500 customers without power southwest of Columbus on Saturday morning.
Chip Orben, Duke Energy spokesman, said those numbers were down from a high of about 6,500 customers in Bartholomew and Brown counties without power after Friday night’s storms.
The outages were caused by high winds which broke an estimated 20 poles throughout the two counties, he said. Crews, some who are outside contractors being brought in by Duke to help, are continuing to assess the damage from the heavy winds and have not established a definite time when all customers will have power restored, Orben said.
A brief break in the weather on Saturday is allowing crews to make some headway, but any more heavy storms into Sunday could delay their progress, he said.
Orben asked anyone with a power outage to call Duke at 800-343-3525 to report it, and most importantly to stay away from any downed power lines.
Flood warning continues
Bartholomew County continues to be under a flood warning after severe thunderstorms caused damage to homes and trees Friday night into this morning.
A flood warning is in effect for southern Bartholomew County and Jennings and Jackson counties this morning, according to Bartholomew County Emergency Management.
Duke Energy is reporting more than 1,100 customers without power east of Columbus and about 500 customers without power southwest of Columbus.
Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department said a home on County Road 410E between Base Road and County Road 50N was damaged, along with a tree down and utility poles damaged in the area. No injuries were reported.
For more on this story, check back here or pick up a Sunday Republic.
