Power Restoration Complete (10:30pm and last update)

LENOIR, NC (10:30 P.M. – January 3, 2022) — Blue Ridge Energy line technicians have all power restored as of 10:02 pm Monday night after a snowstorm and high winds left nearly 9,000 members without power.

At the height of the storm (5:00 A.M.), 5,493 members were without power. In total, 8,844 members experienced an outage across the cooperative’s service area of Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes, Alexander and Avery counties as a result of strong winds and heavy wet snow that led to trees falling into powerlines from outside of right-of-way areas.  

In Caldwell County, 563 members were affected by damage to the electric system in six locations throughout the Dudley Shoals, Dry Ponds, and Patterson area. 

Watauga County experienced widespread damage to 38 locations affecting 2,555 members.  

Ashe County also experienced widespread damage at 24 locations with 5,155 members being affected. 

In Alleghany, 15 locations experienced damage primarily the Ellis, Glade Valley, and Bristol areas, impacting 571 members. 

To report an outage at any time members, have the following options:

• Call 1-800-448-2383
• On the Blue Ridge Energy mobile app
• By text when signed up for outage texting (to sign up: be sure your mobile number is listed on your account, then text START to 70216. Then, you can text OUT to 70216 anytime you have an outage)

For outage status at any time:

• View the cooperative’s online outage map at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com or on our mobile app.

Blue Ridge Energy posts information during major outages on its social media channels:

www.facebook.com/blueridgeenergy
www.instagram.com/blueridgeenergy
www.twitter.com/blueridgeemc

However, outage reporting is only available using one of the three options above (phone, mobile app or text) to ensure outages are immediately and accurately logged into the cooperative’s outage reporting and management system.

Blue Ridge Electric serves some 78,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, and parts of Wilkes, Avery and Alexander counties. Its propane and fuels subsidiary serves customers in the cooperative’s service area as well as Burke, Catawba, and Grayson County, Va. Learn more at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com.

---

Support the Caldwell Journal for as little as $1 a month through Patreon. Thank you!

---