Contributed
RALEIGH: A State of Emergency declared by Governor Cooper this weekend remains in effect as utility workers are quickly restoring power across the Triad area and some Western North Carolina counties.
“We are grateful for the hard work of utility crews who have been out all weekend in freezing and icy conditions,” said Governor Cooper. “They are making progress on restoring power, and we hope to see most power back on today.”
Gov. Cooper declared a State of Emergency to facilitate movement of any resources needed to respond to the storm and ordered that truck weight, size and hours of service restrictions be waived. This allows vehicles carrying essential supplies and equipment and utility trucks working to restore power to get where they are needed quickly.
Statewide power outages had dropped to around 40,000 outages as of noon, down from a peak of about 158,000 early Sunday. The counties with the remaining outages were Forsyth, Stokes, Rockingham, Henderson, Caswell and Guilford. Power outage information by county is available at https://www.ncdps.gov/power- outages.
One shelter opened in Stokes County last night, and a few residents stayed there while their power was out. School systems in Caswell, Rockingham and Stokes closed on Monday and at least 32 other school districts delayed start times.
If you are impacted by this storm and still waiting for power to return, Governor Cooper and North Carolina Emergency Management officials urge you to:
Monitor weather forecasts closely.
Dress warmly. Wear multiple layers of thin clothing instead of a single layer of thick clothing.
Be careful if you use an alternative heat source, and make sure you know how to use it safely. Properly vent kerosene heaters and keep any electric generators outside and away from open windows or doors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Never burn charcoal indoors.
Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle. Include scraper, jumper cables, tow chain, sand/salt, blankets, flashlight, first aid kit and road map.
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