Power Restoration Work to Continue Into Saturday

Watauga and Ashe Counties Suffer Major Damage

Lenoir, North Carolina (December 26, 2009--7 a.m. update) - Some 260 line technicians are in the field this morning working to restore power to those affected by one of the worst ice storms in years in the High Country.

Trees are down all across the county, blocking road access and delaying efforts to reach outage locations. Ice also tore down power lines and resulted in broken poles in some locations. The situation is so severe that much of the damage is continuing to be discovered today as line crews cut their power through blocked areas with chain saws, removing debris to reach areas where the electrical system is damaged by trees and ice.

Blue Ridge Electric called in assistance Saturday and the cooperative's line crews are being assisted by neighboring cooperatives Piedmont, EnergyUnited, Union Power, Pee Dee, Lumbee River, and Central EMC, as well as crews from Pike Corporation, Carter Utility Services and Asplundh Tree Expert Company.

As of 7 a.m., 15,500 members are without power in Watauga County while another 6,000 are without power in Ashe County. In Alleghany County, power restoration is complete to all but 200 members while only two people remain without power in Caldwell County.

Due to the extent of damage, the cooperative is cautioning that some outages may continue throughout Sunday. Members with special medical or life support needs should contact their local emergency management office for assistance if needed, especially if living in Watauga or Ashe counties where electric system damage is more severe and restoration efforts will extend through the weekend. Watauga County Emergency Management has opened two shelters: Valle Crucis Conference Center and Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department. For medical or other emergency situations, call 911.

Blue Ridge member services staff are also on hand to answer member calls. Members should report outages by calling the cooperative's automated Powerline at 1-800-448-2383. Call volume is heavy so the cooperative asks that members be patient when calling.

Members can view outage updates at any time by visiting www.BlueRidgeEMC.com and clicking on the "outage map" link located on the lower left hand side of the screen.

The cooperative also reminds the public that downed power lines can still be energized and should be avoided to prevent an injury. Report downed power lines by calling Blue Ridge Electric at 1-800-451-5474.

Outage updates and other information is also available on Blue Ridge Electric's Facebook page. Blue Ridge Electric serves some 73,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes, Avery and Alexander counties.