More than 80,000 still without power in North Carolina after severe storms roll through
More than 80,000 people were without power Monday afternoon after severe storms moved across the state.
Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, has the highest number of power outages — about 14,000 as of 6:45 p.m., according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
Wake County, home to Raleigh, had more than 5,000 outages.
Other hard-hit counties were in the western part of the state and along the South Carolina border, a map shows.
Severe weather moving across the state brought risks of tornadoes, strong winds and hail to some areas, according to the National Weather Service. A tornado reportedly touched down in Orange County.
Power outages are particularly unwelcome news as many people work from home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Duke Energy, which still had tens of thousands of customers without power as of 6:45 p.m., encourages people to follow stay-at-home and social distancing guidelines so their crews can avoid distractions, spokesperson Grace Rountree told McClatchy News.
The company expects high winds will be the biggest hurdle to restoring power. Crews can go to work after storms push through and wind gusts drop below 39 mph, Rountree said.
Storms on Monday caused thousands of members of NC Electric Cooperatives to lose power, spokesperson Lisa Crawley said. About 9,000 were without electricity as of 5:30 p.m.
“Crews continue to follow social distancing guidelines, including physical distancing and vehicle use practices that will protect their safety while also allowing them to restore power as quickly as possible,” Crawley wrote in an email to McClatchy News.
This story was originally published April 13, 2020 at 8:24 AM with the headline "More than 80,000 still without power in North Carolina after severe storms roll through."
