RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- North Carolina's electric cooperatives are making steady progress restoring power to cooperative members in coastal, southeastern and central North Carolina with current outages at about 284,000, down from 325,000 less than 24 hours ago.
This progress is encouraging, but cooperative officials caution that existing outages could extend for several more days or even weeks, particularly in the hardest hit areas because flooding, fallen trees and debris are impeding line crews' access to restoration points. Additionally, as the hurricane's remnants move west and then north along the Appalachian spine, electric cooperative consumer-members in the western part of the state may experience outages.
Local cooperative crews are receiving restoration support from contractors and co-op crews from throughout the nation. North Carolina co-ops with less damage are also beginning to deploy to harder-hit areas. Collectively, this army of hundreds of line crews, tree removal crews and other support specialists will restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
You can help by being especially vigilant of work areas. Please do not go out on the roads unless absolutely necessary. Keeping the roads clear will help first responders do their jobs and allow restoration crews access to impacted areas. Additionally, many road shoulders are saturated or inaccessible, which means crews will have to set up their trucks and equipment on the road in some locations. Help us keep our linemen safe.
For your safety, never go near downed or sagging power lines and be aware that fallen lines could be hidden by debris or high water. Always assume power lines are energized and report damage to your utility provider immediately.
Real-time outage numbers and locations for co-ops throughout North Carolina are available online. Cooperative consumer-members should report any new outages to their local co-op.
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.
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SOURCE North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives