Power outage map: Duke Energy reports 67,000 outages in Carolinas with more expected
Duke Energy reported 67,000 outages in the Carolinas through late Sunday morning, with more outages likely to occur later Sunday into early Monday.
As of 11:15 a.m., 27,000 Duke customers in North Carolina and 40,000 in South Carolina had no power. In Spartanburg County, at 10:30 a.m. there were about 1,800 reported outages.
South Carolina’s hardest-hit counties for power outages so far include: Anderson, Darlington, Florence, Greenville, Greenwood, Kershaw, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg and Sumter.
So far, North Carolina’s hardest hit counties, in terms of power outages, include: Gaston, Jackson, Macon and Swain.
Power outage map: See where power outages are throughout South Carolina
Duke Energy has more than 11,000 response workers ready to start multi-day power outage repairs as soon as weather conditions safely permit, Duke spokesman Ryan Mosier said.
Those workers include Duke Energy crews normally based in Florida, Indiana and Ohio, as well as mutual assistance crews from other companies in Canada, Texas, Arizona, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Oklahoma and other states who traveled to the Carolinas.
The main culprit behind power outages during a winter storm is heavy ice on trees, branches and power lines, and ice buildup on trees and branches that causes them to fall on power lines, Mosier said.
Ice buildup of a quarter-inch or more and heavy, wet snow of 6 inches or more can cause trees and branches to fall on power lines.
Winter storm updates: Bulk of snow moves out of Spartanburg. Sleet, freezing rain continue
At 10:30 a.m., there were about 1,800 power outages in Spartanburg County, according to Spartanburg Emergency Management Director Doug Bryson.
A large area was without power Sunday morning just west of Asheville Highway in Inman. The area included South Carolina. 357, Hampton, Ballenger, New Cut, Gowan and Holly Springs roads.
Duke Energy reported 1,457 customers lost power in that area, caused by an object coming into contact with power lines. Repairs and damage assessment were underway.
East of Spartanburg, there were 43 outages reported along and near Sloans Grove Road in Glendale; and 73 outages in the Dupree Drive area of Fernwood.
West of Spartanburg, there were 77 in the St. James Drive area between W.O. Ezell Boulevard and John B. White Sr. Boulevard; 29 outages along Taylor Colquitt Road southwest of North Pine Street; and 40 outages along U.S. Highway 29 near Palmetto Parks Drive and Compton Drive in Wellford.
Duke Energy customers can report power outages by texting “OUT” to 57801.
Broad River Electric customers Members experiencing a power outage can report it in the following ways: • Phone: 866-266-7688; text OUTAGE to 55050.
Contact Bob Montgomery at bob.montgomery@shj.com
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Duke Energy power outage map updates: 40,000 without power in SC
