CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Power outages are never comfortable, but with nowhere to go and many people working at home, Monday's event hits on a whole other level.
Duke Energy says severe storms knocked out power to more than 300,000 customers in the Carolinas Monday morning. By 5 a.m. Tuesday, there were still more than 12,000 customers without power in the Charlotte area.
Sabrina McCauley was one of those without power for most of the day. She lost power around 5 a.m., and the Matthews-area mom says by the afternoon, she couldn't stand to be inside any longer.
"At this point, the food in my refrigerator and my freezer is going bad. I'm just going to go over to my parent's house," McCauley said. "I'm not going to keep my 3-year-old in an 85-degree apartment."
On Friday, Duke said it was preparing for high winds and likely power outages, and Monday's weather proved as impactful as expected.
According to Duke Energy, there were more than 6,000 individual outage events.
"Crews will need to visit each of those and make the necessary fixes in order to get customers' power restored," said Meghan Miles, a Duke Energy spokesperson.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, crews have had to adjust how they work to suit social distancing and personal hygiene practices, but Miles says, staffing remains hearty with even more support coming from Florida-area workers being deployed to help.
"They will supplement the thousands of workers we already have in the Carolinas out in full force," Miles said.
Meantime, McCauley got her power back after more than 12 hours, in enough time to save some of the food in her fridge, but not all. It's yet another blow for the recently-unemployed service-industry worker.
"Groceries are a treasure right now, and I just restocked my refrigerator," said McCauley. "A lot of that is probably bad by now."
Duke Energy offers the following advice regarding its work crews:
- Please avoid approaching Duke Energy crews in the field or entering their work zone as they restore power. If you do need to speak with someone, be advised that employees will maintain at least six feet of separation.
- Please adhere to stay-at-home orders and help our crews avoid distraction by supporting social distancing guidelines as they work.
- If it is necessary to leave home, customers should move over or slow down if they see utility crews or other first responders working along roads. It’s not only the law but also helps protect our crews who are working to help restore power to customers.
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