The money will help communities get ready for hurricanes, floods and other severe weather.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Duke Energy just announced it’s giving $500,000 to help North Carolina towns and cities prepare for bad weather.
Eligible groups can apply for grants up to $25,000 each. They have until April 25, 2025 to submit their applications.
The money will help communities get ready for hurricanes, floods and other severe weather.
The program focuses on four main areas:
- Getting different agencies to work together
- Creating new plans for emergencies
- Teaching local residents about storm safety
- Training first responders
“The impact of Hurricane Helene last fall showed us the importance of strong collaboration between emergency management agencies, first responders and nonprofit organizations when it comes to natural disasters,” said Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy North Carolina state president.
The Duke Energy Foundation has awarded nearly $5.6 million to support the state’s storm preparedness since 2020, the company said in an online statement.
Several North Carolina communities have already benefited from similar grants in the past. For example:
- Wilmington used the money to install new flood gauges
- Raleigh distributed weather radios to neighborhoods that needed them most
- Person County started a drone program to help with public safety
- Harrisburg bought special equipment for their water rescue team
The foundation said it hopes these grants will help keep people safer when storms hit North Carolina.
“We’re proud to support storm preparedness efforts in the communities we serve as they continue to grow and see new opportunities to bolster resilience to severe weather events,” Bowman said.
