### Severe Flooding from Hurricane Helene Challenges Power Restoration Efforts

High winds and torrential rains have wreaked havoc in the Carolinas, leaving thousands without power and complicating repair efforts for utility companies like Duke Energy. While the high winds snapped tree branches and uprooted utility poles, the flooding proved to be far more damaging and complex to address.

When hurricanes strike, the immediate concern often revolves around power lines and distribution poles. Trees falling over and scattering debris may lead to outages, but these issues can be resolved relatively quickly—often in a matter of days. However, when substations are engulfed in floodwaters, the situation becomes significantly more complicated. These critical nodes in the power grid, which supply electricity to thousands of homes, become incapacitated and often need total replacement. Floodwaters must first recede before any meaningful repairs can commence, hampered further by a nationwide shortage of transformers.

Duke Energy, whose infrastructure in the Carolinas was battered by Hurricane Helene, reported extensive damage, including submerged substations, thousands of downed utility poles, and downed transmission towers. The utility company's efforts have been further delayed by mudslides and blocked roads, making many affected areas inaccessible. While Duke has restored power to more than 2 million customers, around 250,000 homes remain without electricity more than a week post-storm. Jason Hollifield, Duke Energy's storm director, described the damage as "more severe on a larger scale than we've ever experienced."

The extreme weather also spotlighted the limitations of current disaster response strategies. While line technicians and other support personnel are pre-positioned to address power line damages, they cannot prevent substations from flooding. This issue is underscored by the broader context of a warming climate, which many experts agree will lead to wetter storms. Utility companies will thus need to revise their response plans to account for such increasingly frequent and severe flooding events.

In the storm's aftermath, Western North Carolina's Representative Chuck Edwards estimated that 117,000 customers were still in the dark. While some power restorations were expected by Sunday, many areas with inaccessible properties might continue to experience extended outages as Duke Energy works to reconstruct critical infrastructure. With another hurricane, Milton, on the horizon, Duke is deploying thousands of technicians and support staff in Florida, but the underlying issues remain.

Reflecting on the economic ramifications, Tyler Norris, a PhD student at Duke University, suggested that "rates will necessarily rise" as utilities incur higher costs for adapting and repairing complex electrical infrastructures. This sentiment is particularly relevant to those paying for electricity as the expense of these repairs will likely fall on ratepayers.

The severe impacts of Hurricane Helene and the prospect of more wetter storms in the future reveal the urgent need for updating utility disaster response plans. Mitigations such as permanent flood protections at substations are being implemented, but widespread adoption has yet to occur. According to Duke's 2022 climate resiliency report, substations remain the highest risk assets under both moderate and extreme climate scenarios. Several substations had to be de-energized during Hurricane Florence in 2018 due to similar flooding threats.

In conclusion, the increasing frequency of severe weather events emphasizes the necessity for utilities like Duke Energy to enhance their infrastructure and disaster response strategies. As Western North Carolina endures ongoing power outages and anticipates future storms, the lessons learned from Hurricane Helene's devastating impact call for immediate and robust action.