EnergyUnited crews are working to restore power outages caused by the raging storm that produced winds estimated at 90 miles per hour.
At the peak of this early morning storm, approximately 16,000 EnergyUnited members throughout its 19-county service area were impacted.
As of 10 a.m., slightly more than 8,900 members were without power. The number of members and counties that are still largely impacted include 1,600 in Catawba, 4,500 in Davidson, 1,100 in Lincoln, 500 in Iredell, 360 in Rowan and 200 in Mecklenburg.
EnergyUnited crews began working shortly after 1 a.m. this morning and are continuing their efforts to restore power to the interrupted areas. Officials estimate that power to most members should be restored by this evening. Due to the extent of damage, additional line crews from Pike Electric and neighboring cooperatives are assisting in power restoration efforts. Crews will continue to work until all power is restored.
The cooperative’s service area sustained moderate damage with downed power lines and broken utility poles. Replacing poles and rebuilding lines are a time-consuming process. In storms that produce rain and high winds, power outages are most often caused by fallen trees and branches, making outages widespread.
EnergyUnited officials said their year-round, right of way maintenance helps the organization keep storm-related damage to a minimum.
Downed power lines and any object touching a line should be regarded as potentially energized and dangerous. Downed EnergyUnited lines should be reported immediately to 800-522-3793. EnergyUnited members, who need to report an outage, are asked to call 800-EUNITED (800-386-4833).