Crews with North Carolina’s electric cooperatives continue to work through challenging conditions to restore power to cooperative consumer-members in the wake of the winter storm. As of 3:45 p.m. today, electric co-ops are reporting a total of about 11,300 outages statewide, down from 24,000 this morning and a peak of more than 47,000 on Sunday afternoon. The counties with the highest number of co-op consumer-members experiencing power outages are Haywood, Transylvania and Rutherford.
Co-op crews will continue to work as quickly as possible until power is safely restored to all co-op members. Support crews from electric cooperatives in areas of North Carolina that were not affected by the storm, as well as from out of state, have joined the restoration efforts in highly impacted regions.
Crews from Brunswick EMC work to restore power in Pinnacle, N.C., after traveling to assist with power restoration at Surry-Yadkin EMC.
Temperatures are expected to dip below freezing overnight, and roads are expected to remain treacherous. Stay off the roads if possible, and if you must drive, use extreme caution. Accidents caused by hazardous road conditions can lead to power outages if vehicles hit utility poles or other infrastructure. If you see electric utility crews working on the side of the road, slow down and leave plenty of room between your vehicle and the workers.
Electric cooperative members are asked to report any new power outages or dangerous situations caused by the storm to their local electric cooperative.
Updated statewide co-op outage numbers can be accessed anytime via our live outage map.
Safety:
- Never go near a downed or sagging power line. Do not attempt to remove debris from power lines, as the lines could still be energized and very dangerous. Always assume power lines are energized. Report fallen or damaged lines to your co-op or utility provider immediately.
- Never connect generators directly to household wiring without first having a qualified electrician install a transfer switch. This prevents backfeeding, which poses a serious threat to line workers.
- Only use generators and charcoal grills in well-ventilated outdoor areas; a garage does not count as a well-ventilated area.
- If using Sterno or charcoal to cook food, always to do so outside in a well-ventilated area. Cooking indoors with Sterno or charcoal will produce deadly carbon-monoxide fumes.
Stay tuned to Facebook and Twitter or connect with your local electric cooperative for the latest updates and safety tips.
North Carolina’s 26 electric cooperatives collectively serve approximately 2.5 million people in 93 of the state’s 100 counties. For more information, visit ncelectriccooperatives.com.