Multiple power outages affect thousands during bitterly cold weather

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — The long streak of sub-freezing temperatures that continue to grip the Charlotte region have heating systems working overtime.

Multiple power outages left thousands of people without a way to stay warm Tuesday.

Duke Energy’s website showed that an outage starting just after 7 a.m. in Mooresville affected 1,313 customers, while another in Charlotte impacted 1,516 people.

[Duke Energy Power Outage Map]

Jesse Younge is a resident of the University Park area of northwest Charlotte, and is one of the people who lost their power around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning when it was just 12 degrees outside.

Younge said his neighborhood has a history of outages during cold weather and storms. When the power went out, Younge said, it felt like single digit temperatures inside his home.

"We always get power outages in this neighborhood. I don't know if it's because of lack of technology, but seeing that we in this day and time we should have better coverage during storms and cold also," Younge said.

[Duke Energy: Report an Outage]

He’s hoping a similar incident doesn’t happen again while the frigid temperatures keep their hold on the city.

“I hope nobody has to go through this, with this being such a bad cold,” Younge said. “This is an area of elderly people. Some don't have a chance to go where it is warm."

It took Duke Energy about an hour and a half to restore power in Younge’s area.

Duke Energy crews said trees growing around power equipment led to Tuesday morning's outage in the University Park area.

But officials said equipment being overworked in the cold and people running into equipment during car accidents also caused the outages.

Company officials said residents shouldn't worry though because its power plants are putting out enough supply to meet the demand of the cold week.

"This is not record-setting cold when it comes to the usage," Duke Energy spokesperson Paige Layne said. "We do not anticipate we will break usage records. Customers will see a spike in energy usage, especially if they have electric heat."

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Cox Media Group