What happens when the lights go out DM Good morning/afternoon, my name is ______________, and I’m joined by ____ of my fellow district managers: (announce names of DMs on the call). We’d like to welcome you today to our discussion about Duke Energy’s storm preparation plans. Also with us is Bill Dumas/Franky Batten. Bill/Franky works on the front lines coordinating our storm response and will share more about this process with us today. At Duke Energy, we put safety first, and start every meeting with a safety message. So please take a moment, wherever you are, to evaluate your surroundings. Make sure you’re in safe place to participate in this webinar. Identify any tripping hazards, like computer cords, briefcases or handbags. Thank you for helping us put safety first. Next slide, please. What happens when the lights go out Storm Preparation Webinar

Overview of presentation Ready to respond when the storm strikes How we prepare What we do to prepare How we restore power Informing the public DM This slide gives you an idea of what we hope to cover during our call today. Our goal with this presentation is to help you better understand how Duke Energy prepares for major storms and how we mobilize our crews and resources to safely restore power. Before we begin, are there any questions? [pause for questions] Great. We’re now going to mute the participant line, and we’ll open it up again at the end of the session for questions. You can send us a question for Q&A time at any point during the presentation by using the Q&A icon at the top of your screen. Let’s go to the next slide.

Ready to respond when the storm strikes We are flexible and adaptable, allowing us to respond appropriately to all major storms, not just hurricanes Tornado Ice DM Our crews are experienced and adaptable, allowing us to respond appropriately to all major storms, not just hurricanes, but also wind events, tornadoes, thunder storms and ice storms. While most storm outages can be restored in a few hours, others are much more complex. Major storms impact significant numbers of customers, can involve a multi-day restoration, and often require resources (such as line & tree crews; off-system resources) beyond normal operations. For these storms, we rely on our comprehensive storm response plan. (Host - unmute Bill/Franky) At this point, we’ll move to the next slide and Bill Dumas/Franky Batten is going to lead us through the discussion about how we prepare for storms and restore power. Bill/Franky? Excessive rain & wind Hurricane

Our forecasters help us stay ahead of the storm. How we prepare Our forecasters help us stay ahead of the storm. Bill/Franky Thank you, DM. Whether it’s a tropical storm, ice storm or just extreme weather, our response begins with forecasting and modeling the path and potential impacts of the storm. A dedicated team of Duke Energy meteorologists and storm experts keeps a watchful eye on the weather, and our storm team mobilizes resources, as needed, to ensure storm response is fast and effective. For instance, during hurricane season, which goes through Nov. 30, our meteorologists pay close attention to any tropical system that’s projected to come near our coastal service territories. We have coastal territory in three of the six states that we serve. So we have a lot of experience with tropical weather and always keep a sharp eye on the tropics. Days in advance of a potential hit from a tropical storm or hurricane, our forecasters study detailed weather models (including those from the National Weather Service, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Navy) to help pinpoint a storm’s path and impact in the Duke Energy service area. The closer the storm comes to our service area, the more precise the forecasts become, which helps predict the scale of damage we can expect to our system. This modeling helps our storm teams make decisions about mobilizing crews (and how many might be needed), whether we need to open staging areas for crews (and if so, where they’ll be located), determine the kinds of resources we’ll need (more people? More poles? etc.), and begin getting the word out to employees who will be called in to work. Winter storms, particularly ice storms, can be especially tricky to forecast. In a snow or ice storm, the difference between an area with little impact and an area with significant outages can be the difference in a degree or two of temperature or a distance of just a few miles. And unlike tropical and summer storms, in which outages typically peak as the storm passes, outages resulting from ice and snow can often increase even after the storm has passed, as trees, tree limbs and power lines succumb to the weight of heavy, frozen precipitation. Forecasting and storm modeling is essential to effectively managing storm outage response. Next slide, please.

Determine damage to system equipment Determine resource needs How we restore power 1. Assess the damage Verify what’s out Determine damage to system equipment Determine resource needs Establish restoration times 2. Work the priorities 3. Communicate with our customers Bill/Franky Now let’s talk about how we restore power after the storm. We start by assessing damage. Damage assessments are essential to developing a strategic approach to outage restoration that will help to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. You may notice crews driving through your area immediately after a storm and not stopping for repairs. Most likely, these crews are conducting damage assessments. Rest assured, they will return and with the resources it takes to get your power restored. The assessment phase captures data on downed power lines and broken poles and equipment. This information is then sent back to the storm center and helps the system storm team establish a work plan and set an estimated time of restoration. Next slide, please.

Largest number of customers as quickly as possible How we restore power 1. Assess the damage 2. Work the priorities Critical facilities Largest number of customers as quickly as possible 3. Communicate with our customers Bill/Franky So, who’s first and who’s last? Following a major storm, Duke Energy’s goal is to restore service to as many customers as quickly and safely as possible – starting with the transmission system and working through the distribution system. Resources are allocated with that objective in mind. You can see a model of our transmission and distribution systems on your screen. Some of the most important restoration work might not be in your local area or neighborhood, and may be some distance away, out of site in the woods, or in a swamp, or other hard-to-access area. Often this work is essential to complete before additional local restorations can be completed. In addition, repairs to the transmission system and our points of delivery to wholesale customers such as electric cooperatives and municipalities is necessary before those entities can restore their customers. Duke Energy gives first priority to facilities needed to ensure public health and safety as well as critical public infrastructure. We know where all of these critical facilities are located and will get to work on these first. NOTE: Critical care facilities – long-term care facilities should have a back-up plan/generators available following a major storm Second, we concentrate on safely restoring the largest number of customers as quickly as possible. Third, we focus on individual homes and neighborhoods. In some cases we cannot restore individual service until a customer completes repairs to electrical wiring in their home due to damage from the storm. Let’s go to the next slide.

3. Communicate with our customers How we restore power 1. Assess the damage 2. Work the priorities 3. Communicate with our customers Calls to emergency management/local elected officials Automated call backs Media outlets Social media and online tools DM Thanks, Bill/Franky. Communication is essential during our response to a major storm. We have dedicated teams of communicators, as well as customer, community and government relations teams that provide information to local leaders and key stakeholders, the media, and the public through a variety of channels. We are committed to keeping the public informed about our work during major storms. Messaging can include safety and resource information, and updates on our work and estimated times of restoration. Estimated Time of Restoration, or ETR, is typically not set until the damage assessment is complete. We know this information is important to customers and we will work to provide an accurate ETR as quickly as possible following a major storm. An ETR is the time when we expect the last customer capable of receiving power to be restored in a given area. Most customers will have power restored prior to the ETR provided for that area. Next slide, please.

Quickest ways to report an outage How we restore power Quickest ways to report an outage By phone: Duke Energy Progress: 800.419.6356 Duke Energy Carolinas: 800.POWERON (769.3766) Call back request available Will provide estimated time of restoration once damage assessment is complete Online: duke-energy.com/storm Best source for status of storm restoration 24/7 access to the latest outage information Combined Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress outage information Map or table format views Optimized for mobile devices - view outages or report an outage DM When our customers experience an outage, there are a number of ways they can report it to Duke Energy. You might ask, is it really necessary to report my outage? The answer is yes. Reporting an outage helps our crews determine the exact location of the outage and ensure that all customers are restored as part of their work. Duke Energy’s automated outage reporting system is capable of handling more than 100,000 calls per hour. During routine outage situations, the system can provide customers with a general outage cause and an estimated time of restoration. During major storms, estimated times of restorations are provided once damage assessments are completed. The automated outage reporting phone system can also call customers back with updates or when power is restored (in the event the customer needs to change locations while their power is restored). Duke Energy also offers online and mobile outage reporting and outage update tools. We recognize that during a power outage, a mobile device is often the preferred way for customers to stay connected with us. That’s why we have invested in tools that are easy to use and compatible with most mobile devices and tablets. Next slide, please.

Online outage reporting How we restore power Online outage reporting DM Duke Energy’s online outage reporting and update tool interfaces with our outage management system, providing customers with the same types of information that our crews and planners use internally. Individual outage reports generally provide the number customers affected, when the outage was first reported, the cause of the outage and the estimated restoration time. When damage assessments are under way, customers may see “Assessing Damage” in the ETR field. Once the assessments are complete and estimated times of restoration are established, this field will be populated with a date and time when all customers capable of receiving power from that outage will be restored. Other customers affected by the outage may be restored incrementally as crews switch them to other points of service or repair damage in their area. Next slide, please.

Outage map storm mode How we restore power DM The information on the outage map is typically updated every 15 minutes under normal operating conditions. In major storms when there are significant numbers of outages, the map may enter storm mode, which provides more general information about outages at a county level with less detail locally. Storm mode is identifiable by the map being shaded by outage severity, as opposed to the normal mode which displays individual outages and outage information at the local level. Next slide, please.

What is an emergency call? How we restore power What is an emergency call? Life-threatening: a human life is in immediate danger DM Downed power lines can be life-threatening, but are widespread after major storm. After a storm, the determination if something is an emergency is based on if human life is in immediate danger. Life-threatening: If a human life is in immediate danger. (Example: Car hits a pole and lines are on the car.) Call the county 911 center, which will contact the Duke Energy Emergency Line. A crew will be dispatched to the scene. Remember, we are not emergency response vehicles. We do not have red or blue lights to speed or  go through red lights at intersections. If the crew is working on a job, it will have to secure that work location for safety purposes. Non-life threatening: Assistance is needed with downed power line.  (Example: Emergency management or city/county personnel are doing damage assessment after a storm and see a power line that is hanging across a road or a major intersection that could inhibit emergency response vehicles from getting to a call, etc.) In this instance, you should contact your district manager or your district manager storm representative by phone or email and report the location of the downed line. The district manager will forward the information to local storm center personnel for priority work.  Remember, there will be numerous lines down in the area and, unfortunately, not every line can be a priority.  Crews are working to get the most customers restored as quickly as possible. Duke Energy damage assessment teams will identify all down lines and broken poles and they will relay this information to our storm center.  We will have this information as we go forward with our power restoration work. Residential report of a downed line: If a resident calls an emergency management center to report a downed power line, please ask them to call Duke Energy’s customer contact center. During storms, we advertise the customer service numbers repeatedly on the radio and TV. When a customer calls in, they’ll follow automated phone prompts that will connect them to a representative who will take down the information about the downed line and will forward the information to the storm center. Next slide, please. 

Emergency tickets vs. trouble requests How we restore power Emergency tickets vs. trouble requests What is not an emergency ticket: Lights out Flickering lights Street light outages Non-pay disconnect/reconnect No notes for DM -- just read through a few for the audience. Next slide, please.

During the storm, we do our best to keep everyone informed Informing the public During the storm, we do our best to keep everyone informed Target audiences Governmental Regulatory Media Customer Online Messages Magnitude of storm and damage Number of outages Estimated times of restoration Safety before, during and after the storm DM During the storm, we do our best to keep everyone informed of what is happening and what to expect. Internal departments, such as Corporate Communications, our customer call centers, regulatory, business and community relations organizations, are in constant contact with customers, regulators and local and state government officials, providing updates and following up on any concerns. We provide outage maps on the Duke Energy website which includes ETRs, and use social media messaging. Next slide, please.

Connect with Duke Energy Informing the public Connect with Duke Energy Twitter: @DukeEnergy Facebook: /DukeEnergy Storm website: duke-energy.com/storm Mobile website: m.duke-energy.com DM This slide shows some of the best ways to connect with Duke Energy, including social media. Next slide.

DM This concludes our presentation. We’ll begin Q&A time by both unmuting the line and responding to questions through our Q&A tool. Do we have any questions? [Allow for Q&A. If no questions and time allows, you can ask some questions: Is there anything we can do to help you and your community respond to a storm? What’s working well? What isn’t? How can we improve?] On behalf of Duke Energy, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to join us today. I’m sure I speak for everyone on my team and for you as well when I say we will be extremely happy if we don’t have to activate our storm plans during the remainder of hurricane season and beyond. However, if we do, we hope this overview has given you a better idea of how things work on our end and how we work with you to get life back to normal as quickly and as safely as possible.