Moore County, North Carolina, declares a state of emergency as power outages continue After a “deliberate” attack Two substations were damaged over the weekend. The attack blacked out nearly 45,000 people in North Carolina.
Under the state of emergency, a nightly stay-at-home order is in place from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am and county residents are encouraged to conserve fuel.
Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks said Monday that the company has powered about 7,000 customers. About 38,000 people remain without power, and Brooks said full restoration is not likely until Wednesday or Thursday.and press release “The damage is irreparable in some areas,” said Jason Holyfield, general manager of Duke Energy.
Hollifield said:
The power outage also caused the area’s drainage pumps to fail and schools in the county to close. Traffic lights were also extinguished and emergency shelters were opened to the public.
Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields said the power outage was first reported to police shortly after 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3. When the utility company responded to the substation, “evidence was found indicating that intentional vandalism had occurred at multiple sites,” Fields said on Dec. 4.
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The Pilot Newspaper, Southern Pines
and press conference on Sunday afternoon, Fields said the damage was caused by gunfire. Fields said the scene was the same at both sites and that the attack was “targeted” and carried out by someone who “knew exactly what they were doing.”
The motive for the attack has not been disclosed and is being investigated as a criminal act. At a press conference on Sunday, Fields was unable to say whether the incident reached the level of domestic terrorism.
On Monday afternoon, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas said the attack “appears to have been deliberate.”
“We are working with community energy companies to address situations that affect the power reaching homes in the affected areas,” said Mayorkas. , or not.Early evidence suggests it was deliberate, and an investigation is ongoing.”
A branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Charlotte, North Carolina is also investigating the attack. On Sunday, the office told CBS News that it was “investigating intentional damage to power equipment” in the area, but declined to comment further as the investigation is ongoing.
The Pilot Newspaper, Southern Pines
On Monday afternoon, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper called the attack a “criminal act” at a press conference.
“This was a deliberate attack and caused serious harm to people,” Cooper said.
