Last Updated on December 9, 2017 8:59 am
Lenoir, North Carolina (December 9, 2017 – 8 am) – After overnight power restoration efforts, Blue Ridge Energy line crews continue battling heavy, wet snow to restore 1,500 members across the service area this morning.
Additional outages are resulting as heavy snow continues to bring down heavy limbs and trees, tearing down power lines and breaking power poles in some locations. Extra contract crews are assisting Blue Ridge to work in full force to restore power as quickly as safely possible. High winds are also predicted in the mountain service area tonight so crews will remain on high alert and on call through the weekend.
Downed power lines can still be energized and therefore dangerous, even deadly! The public is reminded to stay far away from downed lines and report them by calling the cooperative or 911.
Caldwell County has been impacted the most by the snow event: 61 different locations were damaged by the storm all across the county, with downed trees, limbs and power lines as well as broken power poles. As of 8 am, line crews are working to restore 932, primarily in the southern end of the county.
In Watauga County, crews are working to restore 142 this morning, and 11 in Ashe County.
Linemen are also working to restore 305 members in Wilkes County; 67 in Alexander County; and one in Avery County. All Alleghany County outages are restored as of 8 am.
It is very important to ensure all outages are reported into the Blue Ridge Energy tracking system by using one of two automated reporting methods:
- Call PowerLine: 1-800-448-2383
- Use the Blue Ridge mobile app available free in app stores
A live outage map is available on the mobile app and online at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com.
