NORTH CAROLINA — Channel 9 has team coverage getting you ready for the winter storm and what’s to come.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation says all major interstates have been treated with 90,000 gallons of brine.
Crews are expected to start its storm operations Saturday.
Channel 9 was at Carowinds, where Duke Energy crews will be ready to respond.
In just a few hours, winter weather is expected to move in. Duke Energy says crews are ready to roll out.
This is a crucial window for people to takes steps now before conditions worsen.
If the worst happens, there are crews who will ride to the rescue. Line crews are from 27 states, plus Canada.
“These folks, they are proud of what they do,” said Ben Williamson with Duke Energy. “They have done this a lot. They want to get out there and help.”
The utility has been getting ready for what could be one of the most dangerous storms to hit the area in years.
“When you’re talking about a quarter inch of ice, we’re going to have trees down in Charlotte. We know that and around North Carolina even if there are no trees on our line, our lines can be impacted and weighed down,” Williamson said.
Duke has been telling its customers to look out for themselves and each other, in case it takes a while for crews to get to all of the outages.
“We have asked folks to prepare to be out for an extended period of time, two to three days,” said Williamson. “We really hope folks have planned for that.”
450 trucks and 1,000 workers have staged at Carowinds. They include vegetation, line logistical and storm managements crews. There are 22 staging areas across the Carolinas. While the response is massive, Duke says customers may need to be patient.
“Our crews cannot go out if there are blocked roads, downed trees on roads, or if the roads are not safe,” Williamson said.
High winds could also be a problem because that would prevent linemen from being able to get into those bucket trucks to repair power lines. That’s why customers may need patience.
After the storm, Duke Energy says to stay off the roads if conditions are dangerous and stay away from any downed power lines.
You can report any power outages using Duke’s online tool, mobile app, or by calling 800-POWER-ON (800-769-3766).
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