CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio — About 40,000 Duke Energy customers across Clermont County were without power Tuesday after severe thunderstorms swept the region, with full restoration expected to take 24 hours or longer, according to the utility.
The Milford Community Fire Department, citing Duke Energy, urged residents not to touch or drive over downed utility wires, warning that lines can remain live even when they show no visible signs of being energized.
Duke Energy recommends that anyone who encounters a downed line stay at least 30 feet away and treat all lines — along with any trees, limbs or fences in contact with them — as energized and dangerous. The utility asks that people avoid the area, warn others away and report the hazard to Duke Energy or local emergency services rather than attempting to move or touch it, according to the company’s safety guidelines.
Tuesday’s storms brought widespread damage across the county. A fallen tree closed a stretch of Concord-Hennings Mill Road, Goshen Township opened a shelter for residents amid the severe weather, and Batavia canceled its Music on Main concert because of the storm risk.
Duke Energy Ohio serves roughly 840,000 customers across Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont and Brown counties, according to the company. Customers can check restoration updates or report an outage at duke-energy.com/outages, by texting OUT to 57801, or by calling 800-543-5599.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Milford Community Fire Department.