After two power substations were shot at this past weekend, thousands of people in Moore County are facing and bracing for days without electricity.
Schools in the county are still closed Tuesday, as are many businesses and restaurants. Even traffic lights aren’t working correctly, so most drivers are treating intersections as four-way stops. Schools are expected to announce by 4 p.m. Tuesday if they will open for Wednesday.
Moore County has about 100,000 residents. At the power outage’s peak, about 45,000 Duke Energy customers were without power. By Tuesday morning, Duke Energy had restored power to about 9,000 customers.
An investigation into the shooting at the substations is still ongoing and the FBI is assisting. Gov. Roy Cooper said that state and federal investigators will leave “no stone unturned” in their search to apprehend a suspect or suspects. Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields added that whoever is responsible for the shooting, “knew exactly what they were doing,” and acted with criminal intent.
As Moore County continues to work to restore electricity, the Pinehurst Medical Clinic has compiled a list of resources available to folks in need.
The following information is accurate as of 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
Shelters
- Moore County Sports Complex — Showers and hot meals are available, and the American Red Cross will be on-site.
- First Baptist Church (Carthage) — Shower units are available.
- Aberdeen First Baptist — Showers and laundry units are available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Food
- New Covenant Fellowship — Soup and sandwiches will be provided beginning at noon.
- Yates Thagard Baptist Church — The church in Whispering Pines will offer a Mexican dinner from 5 p.m. until the food is gone.
- Crains Creek Fire Department — A vendor serving hot dogs, rice and chicken gumbo will be on-site from noon to 5 p.m.
Charging, Wi-Fi, etc.
- Pinehurst Fire Station 91 — Open to the public to charge electronics between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Haney Community Room of the Southern Pines Police Department — Open 24/7 to allow residents to charge and get out of the cold.
- Grace Church Southern Pines — Will provide lunch, hot drinks and charging stations from noon to 2 p.m.
- Southern Pines Library — Charge your devices, read a book and have a snack from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Seven Lakes Baptist Church — Open from noon to 4 p.m. to provide entertainment for children.
- RockFish Church of Aberdeen — Lunch, wi-fi, work areas and charging stations are available.
Additionally, all six Food Lion stores in Moore County are distributing free water to residents impacted by the power outage. One case of water per family will be given out while supplies last. The Food Lions are located in Aberdeen, Carthage, Seven Lakes and Southern Pines.
WUNC's Sharryse Piggott contributed to this report.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of Duke Energy residents without power.
