Progress on Power Restoration

Watauga: 2,366; Ashe: 177 as of 9 p.m. Monday

Lenoir, North Carolina (December 28, 2009-9 p.m. update) - Outage numbers are going down this evening as line technicians continue to work in the field tonight to restore power to members of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation.

As of 9 p.m., outages are down to 2,366 in Watauga County and only 177 remain in Ashe County. More than 25,000 members were without power at the height of the outages after the worst ice storm in recent history hit the High Country on Christmas day.

The ice storm not only damaged about half of the cooperative's 7,000 miles of power lines, it also brought down massive amounts of trees, further damaging power lines and leaving behind 150 broken poles. Many of the remaining outage sources where the system is damaged are in remote areas of rough, mountainous terrain. In some cases linemen must use bulldozers to get through debris which means power poles must be set primarily by hand without the assistance of line trucks, which is much lengthier process.

Due to the extent of damage, Blue Ridge officials are predicting it will be Wednesday before power is fully restored to the most devastated area of Watauga County.

"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, director of public relations.

"A large number of crews from 11 other utilities responded to our request for help and more than 300 linemen are working on restoration," she continued. "We want to thank everyone who has had a part in feeding and housing all our line technicians so that they can continue to work in these tough conditions. Many of them have been here since Christmas morning, working long hours to get the rest of the power restored as quickly as possible," she added.

Assisting Blue Ridge line technicians are crews from neighboring cooperatives Rutherford, Randolph, Piedmont, EnergyUnited, UnionPower, Pee Dee, Lumbee River, and Central EMC, and Blue Ridge Energies as well as crews from Pike Corporation, Carter Utility Services and Asplundh Tree Expert Company.

Members can report outages by calling the cooperative's Powerline at 1-800-448-2383. Call volume continues to be heavy so the cooperative asks that members be patient when calling.

The ice storm and falling trees also pulled down power lines. The cooperative reminds the public that downed lines can still be energized and therefore dangerous or even deadly. Stay far away from downed lines and report them by calling Blue Ridge Electric at 1-800-451-5474.

Members in Watauga County with special medical or life support needs should contact their local emergency management office for assistance at (828) 264-4235 or call the American Red Cross at (828) 263-2639.

Members can view outage updates at any time by visiting www.BlueRidgeEMC.com and clicking on the "outage map" link. Outage updates and other information is also available on the web site as well as 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.