CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's been a week since the Carolinas were slammed by severe weather that caused hundreds of thousands of power outages. Hundreds of people were without power for nearly two days after thunderstorms moved across the Mooresville area, including a confirmed EF1 tornado that swept through Catawba, Iredell and Rowan counties during the outbreak.
Some people are asking why every time it storms Duke Energy seems to suffer power outages. This led several WCNC Charlotte viewers to suggest underground power lines to reduce outages caused by fallen limbs and trees. But would having underground power lines really cut down on the number of outages during a storm?
THE QUESTION
Would underground power lines reduce the number of outages during severe weather?
OUR SOURCES
- Jeff Brooks, communications officer with Duke Energy
- Study by the North Carolina Natural Disaster Preparedness Task Force
WHAT WE FOUND
Monday's storm damaged homes, toppled trees, and caused widespread loss of power.
"This storm was so powerful that heavy rain and that combination together we are going to see downed trees and downed limbs," Brooks said.
Brooks said trees are the leading cause of power outages in North Carolina. He wasn't surprised by the number of people who lost electricity because of high winds and downed trees. But is it as easy and putting the lines underground?
"We often hear, 'Why can't we just put the powerlines underground?'" Brooks said.
It's a great question and one WCNC Charlotte has as well, but Brooks said it's not as simple as people think. Furthermore, it might not change anything.
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"You still have outages on underground lines," Brooks said. "They can get water damage, they can get rodents, they can get it from digging and it takes longer to repair."
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Burying power lines would also cost customers a pretty penny. The North Carolina Natural Disaster Preparedness Task Force studied this in 2003. Researchers found at the time that the cost of putting power lines underground would make electric bills more than double what they are now.
"Taking those overground lines and putting them underground is not a simple operation," Brooks said. "We often have to move them to different parts of the property we may have to take out trees in order to put those lines underground."
Brooks said Duke Energy continues to work in different areas to make transmission lines stronger and more storm resistant and to clear trees when needed.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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