Outages linger in hardest hit areas
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on October 14, 2016 4:46 PM
Full Size
Submitted photo
Tri-County Electric visited some of the worst-flooded areas of Wayne County Friday to assess damage to the electric system and determine whether repairs can be made.
Close to 500 customers are still without power, primarily in the Mar-Mac, Seven Springs and LaGrange areas, said Bob Kornegay, Tri-County Electric manager of marketing and member services.
Crews traveled through the county by boat, but repairs are not expected in many areas until the floodwaters recede, which is occurring more and more each day, Kornegay said.
"Today, it's gone down quite a bit," Kornegay said. "We're in there in boats and looking to see what the issues are. We'll be trying to determine constantly when we can safely get people back on in those areas."
Some electric restorations are expected today in areas where crews can safely travel and restore service, he said.
"There's a chance we may be able to bring some of it on today, but we'll have to continue monitoring it," Kornegay said. "People can rest assured, we're not going to forget them."
Some customers could be without service for days, even into next week, due to persistent flooding complications, Kornegay said.
Tri-County Electric has been receiving outside assistance from more than 30 extra crews from the Blueridge Electric Membership Corp. and Rutherford Electric Membership Corp. The company has also contracted with local electric service workers.
Also Friday, more than 800 Duke Progress Energy customers in Wayne County are still without power.
Areas with a concentrated number of power outages include Seven Springs, Mount Olive and the southern area of Goldsboro. Duke Energy is also being impacted by floodwaters in areas where restoration is still being assessed and restoration times are uncertain.
Duke Energy has an online outage map available, which is being updated throughout the day, at www.duke-energy.com/matthew.