Aldridge said most of the electric cooperatives along the coast reported just scattered outages; Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative, however, did have a circuit go down as a result of flooding, and the cooperative is currently working to restore power to 500 consumers.
“Now North Carolina’s electric cooperatives in the western part of the state are on high alert, ready to respond should outages occur as a result of the major wind and snow event predicted in the mountains,” she said. “In preparation for the severe weather, line crews are double-checking equipment and supplies and fueling their trucks.”
Hurricane Sandy bore down on the Eastern Seaboard’s largest cities today, forcing the shutdown of mass transit, schools and financial markets, sending coastal residents fleeing, and threatening a dangerous mix of high winds, soaking rain and a surging wall of water up to 11 feet tall.
Sandy strengthened before dawn and stayed on a predicted path toward Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York — putting it on a collision course with two other weather systems that would create a superstorm with the potential for havoc over 800 miles from the East Coast to the Great Lakes. About 2 to 3 feet of snow were even forecast for mountainous parts of West Virginia.
The tempest could endanger up to 50 million people for days.
Laurinburg City Manager Ed Burchins said that there have not yet been requests for city crews to help in areas affected by Sandy. Such requests would likely come from NC Electricities or the state Department of Public Safety.
“We haven’t had a request to help,” Burchins said. “Years ago, when there was a hurricane, the city gave its assistance. If a request does come, we will talk with council and get permission.”
Burchins added that the massive storm bypassed this part of the state.
"There has been no problem here," he said. "We're pretty much in the clear."
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