Repairs and cleanup from the Christmas Day ice storm in North Carolina's mountains are entering the home stretch, authorities in Watauga and Ashe counties say, but more trouble might be on the way.
Forecasters are predicting another round of freezing rain in the mountains early Thursday, although the amount of ice accumulation this time is not expected to be anywhere near as heavy as last week.
Officials at Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corp. say that crews have restored power to all but about 2,300 of the 25,000 customers who were without power at the height of the storm. Most of those outages are in Watauga County.
Utility officials say that it probably will be today before power is fully restored to the worst-hit parts of Watauga County.
That will be just in time for the arrival of the next storm system carrying the potential for mixed precipitation. However, meteorologist William Perry, of the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg, Va., said that any freezing rain -- which would fall Thursday morning in the mountains -- likely will be light. At this point, forecasters aren't predicting any icing problems.
In the Triad, there is a possibility of wintry precipitation late tonight and early Thursday, said Frank Strait, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.
But the precipitation should turn to a cold rain Thursday as temperatures rise above freezing, he said.
Last weekend's ice storm brought down hundreds of trees in the mountains, and about 150 power poles also were toppled. Repairs were delayed because many of the broken poles and downed lines were in remote parts of Watauga and Ashe counties. In some cases, utility officials said, workers had to use bulldozers to reach the damaged equipment.
"The things that make our mountain districts beautiful -- the many trees, hillsides and rough terrain -- also make it more difficult to restore power after such a severe weather event that has torn down so much of the system," said Renee Whitener, a spokeswoman for Blue Ridge Electric.
Blue Ridge Electric called in help from across the Carolinas to make repairs.
"We want to thank everyone who has had a part in feeding and housing all our line technicians, so they can continue to work in these tough conditions," Whitener said. "Many of them have been here since Christmas morning, working long hours to get the rest of the power restored as quickly as possible."
Micki Hartley, a Watauga County resident who spent the weekend without power at her house, said that her family has coped with the problems.
"My mother-in-law lives next door to us, and she's on oxygen," Hartley told WCNC-TV. "We were able to get a two-day supply and bring her to our house, but I haven't been able to take a bath in two days."
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement