Analysis: 3 million could lose power when Hurricane Florence hits

Between 1 millions and 3 million people will likely lose power when Hurricane Florence makes landfall later this week, according to a Wednesday report from Duke Energy.

Duke Energy has around 4 million customers in North and South Carolina, and says it could take several weeks to restore the electricity.

{mosads}David Fountain, president of Duke Energy North Carolina, emphasized the potential implications of hurricane, which is currently a category 4.

“This is no ordinary storm, and people could be without power for a very long time — not days but weeks,” Fountain said on a call with reporters, according to Bloomberg. “Hurricane Florence will be a life-changing event for many people in the Carolinas.”

Govs. Henry McMaster (R) of South Carolina and Roy Cooper (D) of North Carolina have both declared states of emergency and ordered evacuations from coastal areas.

—Updated at 5:09 p.m.