Duke Energy working to restore power quickly in Piedmont after winter storm

Hundreds of people went to bed without power Thursday night, but the good news is that Duke Energy is restoring power quickly following winter weather.

Homeowners in the western part of Rockingham County, near Mayodan, lost power halfway through the day.

“I thought we missed it. And then just after I ate lunch, the power went off,” said Pete Barber, who lives in Mayodan.

The power shut off, and Barber’s gas fireplace quickly turned on. Thankfully, he showed up prepared for the Triad’s second wave of freezing rain in a week.

“I also bought some canned good, bought some stuff for a little camping stove we have, so I could heat some food and fix some coffee,” Barber said.

Ice covered trees, weighing down and snapping branches, causing thousands of power outages in the area.

Dark, cold and unsure when it would turn back on, Barber got comfortable with his new reality.

“I was hoping it would be off for just a short period of time, but I did go ahead and cover up the openings in the wall and made a cocoon in the living room there, so I could be prepared,” Barber said.

As the time passed the, ice started to melt, but the bitterly cold temperatures had a harder time letting go, so homeowners admired nature’s brutal beauty from indoors, grateful this winter storm wasn’t any worse.

“I didn’t think it was as bad as I was anticipating for it to be, so I’m glad of that,” Barber said.

Duke Energy reports power has been restored in Mayodan.

There are still several outages in Rockingham County. Power crews estimate the remaining repairs will be complete by 7:15 p.m. on Friday.

Source:  myfox8.com