Good morning Southern Pines! As of Sunday morning, Duke-Progress Energy currently reports that approximately 38,000 of us are without power in Moore County. We’d like to share with you what we know and offer some tips as we expect this could be a prolonged outage.
THESE ARE THE FACTS…
- Duke is diligently working to restore power. The outage is wide-spread, but appears to be contained to Moore County.
- The outage is due to criminal vandalism, which occurred to Duke infrastructure within Moore County, but outside Southern Pines. It is currently under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies.
- Duke does not have an exact timeline on when we can expect power to be restored. As a precautionary measure, we recommend preparing for an extended outage, lasting possibly for another 24-48 hours.
- The Southern Pines Water and Sewer system is operating on generator power and we anticipate no interruption in these services. Southern Pines utility staff are working, are monitoring our systems, and will take the necessary steps to maintain prolonged power by generators.
- All non-essential services in Southern Pines are closed today, including the Southern Pines Public Library. We will post an update when we have more information about the ability to open on Monday.
HERE IS WHAT WE’RE DOING TO HELP AND WHAT WE RECOMMEND…
- The Southern Pines Police Department has opened the Haney Community Room to the public in order to charge electrical devices and get out of the cold. When you enter the Police Station at 450 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, please let the dispatch staff know that you are using the Haney Room.
- Police Chief Nick Polidori urges community members to stay off the roads, if possible. There are no operating traffic lights and it can be dangerous to drive; we have witnessed this firsthand in the multiple vehicle accidents to which our Police and Fire departments have responded.
- Southern Pines is fortunate to have a great road network with low-tech solutions, like the traffic circles. If you must travel, please seek out those routes such as Midland Road, NC 22/Central Drive, Knoll Road, Airport Road, Pennsylvania Avenue/PeeDee Road, and similar. We suggest avoiding W. Morganton Road, US-1, and US 15-501, if possible.
- Remember that all normally signalized intersections are treated as 4-way stops for traffic approaching in all directions. Stop and proceed when it is safe to do so.
- Fire Chief Mike Cameron encourages you to identify safe alternate sources of heat. If using fuel fired appliances, including kerosene heaters or fire places, be sure smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are functioning properly.
- For those using portable generators, operate them outdoors only in an area with plenty of ventilation. Never run a generator in a home or garage as they give off deadly carbon monoxide. Plug appliances directly into the generator, or use a heavy duty, outdoor-rated extension cord that is rated (in watts or amps) at least equal to the sum of the connected appliance loads. Keep the generator dry, operate it on a dry surface, and do not touch the generator with wet hands. Be sure to turn the generator off and let it cool down before refueling.
Please stay safe, Southern Pines! If you need emergency assistance, please call 911 for police, fire, or EMS or 910-692-1627 for our water and sewer department. The Town will release further updates and resources, as needed.
Your Town of Southern Pines Staff