Signficant Progress Brings Electric Cooperative Outages To 168,000

RALEIGH, N.C., Sept. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Electric cooperative crews, supported by hundreds of reinforcements, are rolling out this morning determined to restore power to thousands more cooperative consumer-members today. Current statewide outages reported by electric co-ops in the state stand at 168,000, down from a historic peak of 326,000 Friday morning and 284,000 just 24 hours ago.

Real-time outage numbers and locations for co-ops throughout North Carolina are available online.

Outages persist for members of 18 of the state's 26 locally based electric cooperatives, with the majority of the outages remaining in coastal and southeastern North Carolina. First to feel Florence's impact, these areas continue to experience extreme flooding from storm surge, torrential rain and rising rivers, a major factor in crews' ability to reach restoration points. Fallen trees are another factor impeding restoration; in many cases, restoration crews have to cut their way through downed trees and clear debris to get trucks and equipment into the right areas to perform necessary repair work.

Joined by contractors and in and out-of-state electric cooperative support crews, local co-ops will continue to work as quickly and safely as possible to restore power to all cooperative members. Please know, every member is a part of the cooperatives' restoration plans, and members are thanked for their patience and expressions of gratitude.

Safety:

• Help keep our crews safe. If you see utility crews working on the side of the road, slow down and drive carefully.
• Never wade into, or drive through flood water.
• Only use generators and charcoal grills in well-ventilated areas; a garage does not count as a well-ventilated area.
• Never connect a generator directly to a home's wiring. Instead, use an extension cord to plug lights and appliances into the generator.
• Never touch a downed power line, and remember that sometimes debris can cover fallen lines, making them difficult to spot.

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.

SOURCE North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives

Related Links

http://www.ncelectriccooperatives.com

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