About 49,000 Duke Energy customers remained without power Thursday morning, Aug. 13, two days after severe storms tore through the region, and Anderson Township, Mariemont, Terrace Park and Newtown are among the hardest-hit communities still waiting for the lights to come back on.

Duke Energy estimates all remaining customers will have service restored by the end of Thursday. The company's outage map shows 11:59 p.m. as the latest expected restoration time for many areas, though some customers may see power return sooner.

The utility has restored more than 173,000 customers since Tuesday's storms, cutting the outage count roughly 70% from a peak of about 180,000 Tuesday night. As of 9 a.m. Thursday, 40,407 customers in Greater Cincinnati and 8,651 in northern Kentucky were still in the dark, according to Fox 19.

"This was the highest count of outages and dispersion of damage I've seen across this region in my time at Duke," communications director John Juech said Wednesday.

More than 1,000 additional lineworkers, tree trimmers, damage assessors and support personnel from Indiana and North Carolina have joined local crews. Storm director Andy Cassidy said substantial work remains, particularly where broken poles, downed lines or significant equipment damage require complex repairs.

Wednesday's continuing storms, which brought heavy rain, lightning and wind, slowed the effort. The outage count dropped from 94,000 at 4 p.m. Wednesday to 75,000 by 8 p.m., then to 52,000 by 5 a.m. Thursday before settling at 49,000 by 9 a.m., the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

What residents should know

Duke Energy urges anyone who sees a downed or sagging power line to stay away and treat it as energized. Report hazards by calling 911 and Duke Energy at 800-543-5599.

Generators must be operated outside, away from windows and doors. Drivers should treat intersections with nonworking traffic signals as four-way stops and move over for utility trucks and first responders.

To report an outage: text OUT to 57801, use the Duke Energy app, visit duke-energy.com/outages, or call 800-769-3766. Estimated restoration times are available on the company's interactive outage map at duke-energy.com/outagemap.

Where to find relief

Hamilton County EMA recommends residents without power visit a Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library branch, the Salvation Army of Greater Cincinnati or a local YMCA for relief. Residents should confirm the location has power before heading out.

The American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter Wednesday evening at the Hartwell Recreation Center, 8275 Vine St., Cincinnati, according to WVXU. Residents should call ahead to confirm the shelter remains open Thursday.

Residents with storm debris can find Hamilton County yard waste drop-off locations at hamiltoncountyresource.org.

Duke Energy is prioritizing areas with the greatest number of customers still affected. The largest remaining outage clusters in Hamilton County are in the Green Township area; in Clermont County, north of Batavia.