A gun attack on two electrical substations in Moore County, NC, knocked out power to the area, including to traffic lights in the town of Southern Pines.
Karl B DeBlaker/AP
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Karl B DeBlaker/AP
A gun attack on two electrical substations in Moore County, NC, knocked out power to the area, including to traffic lights in the town of Southern Pines.
Karl B DeBlaker/AP
A gun attack on two electrical substations in rural North Carolina left tens of thousands of people without power, schools closed, curfews were imposed and authorities are investigating possible problems. What they say is a deliberate criminal attack.
As the blackout continued into Monday, questions persisted about who carried out the attack and what their motives might have been in cutting power to Moore County and its 100,000 residents. it.
Governor Roy Cooper said at a news conference on Monday: “What happened here on Saturday night was a criminal act and federal, state and local law enforcement is actively working. Working hard to bring those responsible to justice.
“Protecting critical infrastructure like our electrical system must be a priority. This type of attack raises a new level of threat,” Cooper said. “We will be evaluating ways of working with our utility providers as well as our state and federal officials to ensure that we strengthen our infrastructure as needed and work to prevent future damage.”
The outage began shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday near Carthage, NC, and quickly spread to much of the county. Officials say damage to substations could run into the millions of dollars. About 35,000 customers were still without power on Monday afternoon, according to power outage.usand the utility company warned that the outage could last through Thursday.
Authorities have urged families with medical needs and others who depend on electricity to seek shelter at a facility with a generator or leave the county altogether until power can be restored.
Officials have so far not called the attack an act of domestic terrorism but have stressed that any perpetrators will be prosecuted.
Here’s what we know — and what we don’t — about the attacks:
The power outage was caused by a deliberate shooting. Authorities have vowed to pursue criminal consequences
One or more people used guns to attack two Duke Energy substations Saturday night, causing extensive damage.
Authorities have yet to release much other information about the attack, including any information about who carried out it, or what the motive might be, saying only that the investigation is ongoing.
The sheriff has said that whoever is responsible “knows exactly what they did to cause the damage and cause the blackout that they did.”
Local authorities are investigating the incident with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI. Asked if the incident could be called “domestic terrorism,” the governor said investigators “are looking into every possible motive.”
Officials have stressed that willful destruction of utility infrastructure is a serious crime and say they intend to prosecute the perpetrators.
“This is a terrible act, and it appears to be an act of will, willful and malicious. And the perpetrators will be brought to justice and prosecuted before the law,” said Senator Tom McInnis. , who represents Moore County, said. .
The entrance to one of two electrical substations in Moore County, NC, was attacked Saturday.
Nick de la Canal/WFAE
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Nick de la Canal/WFAE
The entrance to one of two electrical substations in Moore County, NC, was attacked Saturday.
Nick de la Canal/WFAE
Repairs will be expensive and take days
The sheriff said the attack caused “millions of dollars” in damage to the substations. Duke Energy says crews are working 24-hour shifts to make repairs.
“We’re looking at a fairly complex repair job with some sizable pieces of equipment, so we want the townspeople to brace themselves for this to be a long recovery,” Duke Energy said. days for most customers, potentially extending through Thursday.” spokesman Jeff Brooks.
At one of the damaged substations, located near Pinehurst, trucks carrying equipment were seen coming and going on Monday as crews worked to make repairs.
“Perhaps unlike a hurricane, where you can go in and reroute the power elsewhere, that’s not an option in this case. So repairs have to be completed. In In many cases, some of those devices will have to be replaced,” Brooks said.
Tens of thousands of people are still without electricity, which has significantly disrupted daily life
Authorities said the outage affected most of southern and central Moore County, the county’s most populous area.
Schools across the county were closed on Monday. The traffic lights are dark, the gas stations are closed, and the mobile signal is shaky. Officials said the 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew would remain in place until power is restored.
County officials set up a temporary emergency shelter in Southern Pines, where a large number of residents, some with children, came and went on Mondays to charge phones and connect to the internet. and warm from the cold.
Lucille Christie, of Moore County, right, arrives at an emergency shelter after two nights alone at home without power.
Nick de la Canal/WFAE
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Lucille Christie, of Moore County, right, arrives at an emergency shelter after two nights alone at home without power.
Nick de la Canal/WFAE
Resident Gail Clark brought coffee cakes and other snacks to share with those at the shelter. She was stuck at home, she said, with her car stuck behind her electric garage door, before a friend offered her a ride to a shelter.
“You can’t cook. You can’t turn on the TV. You can’t turn on the lights. I don’t want to shower because it’s freezing in my house,” Clark said. Like other residents of the county, she said she plans to leave the area entirely until power returns.
Lucille Christie, another woman at the shelter, said she had been home alone for the past two nights. Her cell phone died on Sunday night, and she waved to a neighbor on Monday morning who drove her to the shelter so she could recharge.
“For me, what you realize, for me, when these things happen, you really depend on the comforts that we have as Americans,” Christie said.
Becky Sullivan reporting from Washington, DC Nick de la Canal reporting from Moore County, NC
