Power restoration efforts ongoing in Carolinas, crews prep for Milton [Video]

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Hurricane Helene continues to leave crews working to restore power in the Carolinas. For days, some families have found themselves without it.

“I’ve worked storms for 17 years for this company, and I think this is one of the more personal and emotional storms I’ve seen our crews involved in,” said Jeff Brooks with Duke Energy.

The latest: Gov. Cooper and state leaders share update on impacts of Hurricane Helene

Brooks said about 20,000 line and tree workers from 20 states and even Canada have focused their efforts in some of the hardest hit areas. In a little over a week, Brooks said those crews have helped restore power to about 3 million customers. He said another 60,000 customers still need their help.

“Now we’re getting into those really hard-hit areas that are just going to take a while to rebuild, and in some cases, we don’t have structures to return power …