• Cooperatives reporting 16,500 outages at 4:30 p.m., mostly in the Sandhills area near the South Carolina border.
• Crews from affected cooperatives are responding to outages as quickly as possible; crews from cooperatives without current damage remain poised in case outages occur.
• Cooperatives offer safety advice: Never approach or touch a downed power line.

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina’s network of electric cooperatives is reporting 16,500 outages as of 4:30 p.m. Most of the outages are occurring in the Sandhills region, along the I-95 corridor and near the South Carolina border where precipitation has fallen as freezing rain.

Crews from the affected cooperatives are responding to outages as quickly and safely as possible, and they will continue restoration efforts as long as conditions are safe. With the storm expected to bring more mixed precipitation and winds overnight, crews from the co-ops not currently experiencing outages remain staged and prepared to respond to any outages that may occur.

North Carolina’s electric cooperatives offer the following safety tips:

• Never approach or touch a downed power line. They can remain energized and pose a serious hazard.
• If you plan to use a portable generator, be sure the generator is located outside your house for proper ventilation. Do not use a generator in an attached garage. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for operating the generator.

Electric cooperative members are asked to call their cooperative directly if they experience a disruption in power. For phone numbers to report outages and the counties served by each co-op, refer to www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/co-ops/coops.htm.

Stay tuned to our Facebook page and Twitter account for updates this evening and into the weekend.

North Carolina’s electric cooperatives serve more than 2.5 million people in 93 of the state’s 100 counties.