As winter storm Fern wreaks havoc across the region, the number of power outages in Western North Carolina has surged past 8,000. Just this morning, Asheville reported a relatively low outage count, but the situation has rapidly deteriorated, affecting thousands of residents and businesses.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The conditions have taken a turn for the worse since early reports indicated minimal disruptions in Asheville. Now, the Western North Carolina area is facing widespread electrical outages that are impacting daily life significantly.
Data provided by Duke Energy and French Broad Electric indicates that the number of households, schools, and businesses without electricity has escalated dramatically. This has led to numerous workplace closures and many teachers being unable to hold classes.
French Broad Electric, which caters to clients in counties such as Buncombe, Madison, Mitchell, and Yancey, documented that 102 of its customers were still without power as of 1:45 p.m. today. If you need to report an outage in Madison County, you can reach out at (828) 649-2051; for Mitchell County, call (828) 688-4815; and for Yancey County, the number is (828) 682-6121.
In a much graver situation, Duke Energy's outage map shows a staggering 10,897 outages throughout the Carolinas, with around 10,000 of those occurring specifically in Western North Carolina and the Upstate area of South Carolina. The hardest-hit regions, particularly to the south and southwest of Asheville, include notable clusters around Brevard, Little River, Norton, and Rosman.
For those needing to report an outage to Duke Energy, you can do so by calling +1 (800) 769-3766.
This situation raises an important question: How prepared are we for such natural events? And as the storm continues, what steps can communities take to better safeguard their infrastructures against future disruptions? We would love to hear your thoughts—do you think enough is being done to prevent these kinds of outages?
