Duke Energy reported at 6:33 p.m. Tuesday that over 43,000 people are without power in Monroe County after a severe thunderstorm warning was issued, with wind gusts reported up to 60 miles per hour. Monroe County remains under severe thunderstorm watch until 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The Monroe County Emergency Management Agency issued a travel advisory at 6:14 p.m. Tuesday until further notice due to heavy road congestion. Some roads may be impassable or closed due to blockages caused by debris. Monroe County is under the lowest level of travel advisory, which means road travel may be restricted in certain areas, and drivers should exercise caution during travel in those areas.
Over 73,000 Duke customers across the state were without power as of 6:33 p.m. Tuesday.
At 5:21 p.m. Tuesday, Duke reported that repairs and damage assessment are underway but does not yet have an estimated time of restoration. Crews are responding as conditions allow but are limited by severe weather still in effect across parts of south-central Indiana. The storm uprooted trees and damaged power lines and other electrical equipment, according to the Duke Energy outage map.
South Central Indiana REMC has assigned crews to address outages in the northern part of Monroe County but has not reported any power restorations. Over 1,900 customers were affected by outages as of 6:33 p.m. Tuesday.
Utility District of Western Indiana REMC has assigned crews to assess and address outages and damage in southern Monroe County around Monroe Lake, as well as in the western part of the county. About 2,000 of its customers were without power as of 6:33 p.m. Tuesday, according to its website.
UPDATED: This story was updated to include Monroe County’s travel advisory status.
