To report an outage, call
1-800-448-2383
Blue Ridge Energy Crews Make Progress Saturday in Devastating Conditions During Multi-Day Power Restoration Efforts
Important message from Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson at: https://youtu.be/g7jUGwgitmw
Blue Ridge Energy line technicians and visiting crews have made progress today with outages down from 63,000 at the height of the storm to currently 45,837 members still without power as of 6 pm Saturday. Approximately 150 linemen and right of way tree contractors continue working tonight on power restoration.
The cooperative is working to secure an additional 150 to 200 workers to place in the field on Sunday as crews continue battling flooding, cutting their way through hundreds of downed trees and building roads to reach mangled power lines and broken poles essential to power restoration.
“Hurricane Helene is one of the worst events that I've seen in my career,” said Doug Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Blue Ridge Energy. “I started as CEO in 1989 when hurricane Hugo hit. This storm is going to be worse than Hugo.
“We're working as hard as we can around the clock to restore electricity to everyone, and we won't stop until every meter is turned back on,” Johnson said. “But right now, over 60% of our meters are off. So we have a significant hard challenge before us,” he added, noting that restoration will be a multi-day event due to the extent of damage. Some areas are not yet accessible due to flooding or roads that have been completely washed away.
The cooperative is using a helicopter and drones to fully assess damage and locate areas of destruction that need repairs in order to achieve full power restoration. System damage is widespread across the cooperative’s service area and 8,000 miles of power line.
Safety is paramount, for both line technicians and the public. Blue Ridge Energy warns members using generators to remember the following:
- Never use a generator inside your home or garage. Install a carbon monoxide detector for added safety.
- Never connect it to your home’s electrical system. It can “backfeed” and potentially harm or kill line technicians working on power lines.
- Always let a generator cool down before refueling.
- Keep generators away from water.
- Attach a ground wire to the generator to ensure proper grounding and avoid electrocution. The only safe way to connect a portable generator to your home’s wiring is to have a licensed electrical contractor install a transfer switch.
Be aware that downed power lines can still be energized, and therefore dangerous or even deadly! The cooperative warns the public to stay far away from downed lines, which can be hidden underneath downed trees, water, and other affected structures. Only a trained line technician should ever go near a downed power line. Blue Ridge Energy is assessing damage and members can also report downed lines by calling 1-800-451-5474.
While Blue Ridge Energy is aware of outages and system operators are monitoring conditions, members should only report outages by calling PowerLine at 1-800-448-2383, by using the Blue Ridge Energy mobile app, or, by texting OUT to 70216. Outage reports cannot be accepted over social media. Outage status is available 24/7 on the cooperative’s live outage map at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com and on the mobile app.
Blue Ridge Energy serves some 80,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties as well as parts of Avery, Alexander and Wilkes counties. Learn more at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com or on the cooperative’s social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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