Power Company Has Update on Intentional ‘Vandalism’ That Caused N. Carolina Outage

The gate to the Duke Energy West End substation in Moore County, N.C., on Dec. 4, 2022. John Nagy/The Pilot via AP

A North Carolina power company announced Wednesday that it repaired equipment that was damaged during an alleged attack over the weekend in Moore County, prompting local authorities to declare a state of emergency.

Duke Energy said Wednesday that all damaged equipment was repaired, according to a release. However, it may take several more days for power to be totally restored.

“Equipment damaged from recent vandalism has either been repaired or replaced,” Duke said in a notice. “The restoration of service to those Moore County communities still without power is underway. To avoid overwhelming the electrical system we will bring power back on gradually, with the goal of having the majority of customers restored before midnight tonight.”

A day earlier, the company stated that it had restored electricity to about 10,000 customers in Moore County. But some 35,000 people were still without power.

Local authorities told reporters that they believe a group of unidentified assailants fired shots at power equipment over the past weekend. Details about possible suspects or a motive were not provided.

Moore County Schools confirmed that school is closed for all students and staff on Wednesday. Other services were suspended earlier this week.

At the same time, officials declared a state of emergency due to the power outage and told residents to stay off the roads. The state of emergency also implemented a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. ET every night until Dec. 9.

The emergency order, according to the Moore County Sheriff’s Office, says “all civilians and emergency services workers are hereby ordered to comply with the Moore County Emergency Operations Plan.”

Power outages were reported in Moore County, North Carolina, on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4, 2022. Officials say that criminal activity may be involved. Google Maps / Screenshot via The Epoch Times

Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields told news outlets last weekend that shots were fired at power substations in what he described as an act of intentional vandalism. The individuals who fired shots at the substations, he added, “knew exactly what they were doing” but did not elaborate further.

“It’s very dangerous, we’ve had several accidents involved already due to power outages,” he told reporters of the outage. “We had some shots fired, we had robbery attempts.”

A Duke Energy official, Jeff Brooks, said that a large amount of equipment had to be replaced after the alleged vandalism. The incident poses a different problem than a storm-triggered power outage, he said.

“Unlike perhaps a storm where you can go in and reroute power somewhere else, that was not an option in this case, so repair has to be complete; in many cases, some of that equipment will have to be replaced,” Brooks told the Fayetteville Observer. “Recognizing that we are looking at a pretty sophisticated repair with some pretty large equipment and so we do want citizens of the town to be prepared that this will be a multi-day restoration for most customers extending potentially as long as Thursday.”

Memo

A federal law enforcement memo that was sent out to local officials, obtained by several news outlets Wednesday, indicated that there might be attacks on power substations in other states. The risk is highest in Washington state and Oregon, the notice said.

The memo said that some individuals want to cause “widespread power failures with the potential impact of social disruption and violent anti-government criminal activity.” No evidence or other details were provided, and The Epoch Times has contacted the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security for comment.

“In recent attacks, criminal actors bypassed security fences by cutting the fence links, lighting nearby fires, shooting equipment from a distance or throwing objects over the fence and on to equipment,” it said. Again, few details were provided.

Weighing in on the outage, Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper said it “raises a new level of threat” and added that “we will learn more about motives” in the future. “Regardless of motive, violence and sabotage will not be tolerated,” he said.

Last week, the DHS sent out a bulletin saying the United States “continues to face a heightened threat environment” and that faith-based institutions, government buildings, U.S. infrastructure, schools, and public gatherings could be targeted by people who possess “a range of ideological beliefs” and “personal grievances.”

“Perceptions of government overreach continue to drive individuals to attempt to commit violence targeting government officials and law enforcement officers“ and there have been ”grievances based on perceptions that the government is overstepping its Constitutional authorities or failing to perform its duties,” the DHS notice added.

Reports have indicated that the FBI and North Carolina state investigators are also probing the incident.

“We have cooperation from federal and state law enforcement agencies that are assisting us with this and there’s no stone that we’re leaving unturned,” Fields told reporters on Monday.