Link to drone footage as one example of damage on Blue Ridge Energy’s system: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35NQPxHIzAc
Power Restoration Countdown: Blue Ridge Energy Crews Have Outages Down to 3,909
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee R. Walker, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Energy, (828) 758-2383, Ext. 3213, or rw*****@bl*************.com; or cell: 828-757-6771
Lenoir, North Carolina (4 pm, Wednesday, October 9, 2024) – Blue Ridge Energy crews are making tremendous progress rebuilding its electric system in the cooperative’s heavily damaged service area and additional manpower has been mobilized to the most devastated areas with remaining outages.
As of 4 pm Wednesday, outages stand at a total of 3,909 with 2,242 of those in Watauga County, 1,461 in Ashe County, 106 in Caldwell County, 51 in Wilkes County, 25 in Avery County, and 24 in Alleghany County.
“Our projected date for full power restoration is this Friday, excluding any areas where a home or structure is no longer present or where a heavily damaged structure needs repair by the owner before restoring power is possible,” said Renee Walker, director of public relations for Blue Ridge Energy. She added that this could include a few limited areas that are completely cut off and cannot be reached.
Crews consisting of 500+ line technicians, tree specialists and grading contractors continue working around the clock to make repairs, replace power poles and restore power to neighborhoods and homes.
At the height of the storm, 63,000 Blue Ridge Energy members were without power. Much of the cooperative’s infrastructure was washed away by flooding, taken down by mudslides or demolished by hundreds of fallen trees and raging swift water.
The cooperative continues emphasizing the following safety measures:
Downed Power Line Safety
Protect Line Workers:
Generator Safety:
To check outage status
Blue Ridge Energy serves some 80,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties as well as parts of Avery, Alexander and Wilkes counties. Learn more at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com or on the cooperative’s social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.