Posted on 12/05/22
| News Source: WXII
Governor Roy Cooper addressed the mass power outages in Moore County Monday afternoon after a state of emergency was issued over the weekend.
That’s after a group of people vandalized and shot at the county’s power equipment, causing physical damage at two power substations.
"This kind of attack raises a new level of threat," Gov. Cooper said.
State and local officials are working to harden infrastructure where necessary to prevent future damage.
"I am sure that we will learn more about motives of this intentional attack to come," Cooper said. "Regardless of motive, violence and sabotage will not be tolerated."
Deputies said people across the community called to report power outages they were experiencing just after 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The North Carolina Public Safety reported more than 40,000 power outages. A state of emergency was also activated over the mass power outages over the weekend.
Duke Energy crews are working 24-hour shifts to make repairs and restore service to all impacted customers. So far, they have restored power to 7,000.
The company said it plans to donate $100,000 to help those impacted by the outage in the community.