ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Appalachian Power is warning customers across the Commonwealth to be prepared for the frigid temperatures Friday evening.
Crews are trying to make sure those who don’t have power, or may lose power, have emergency plans in place.
Page Weddle, the owner of Troutville Grocery and Goods, is functioning without power.
“The power went out at 7:45 a.m., we weren’t open but there was someone here,” Weddle said.
Weddle lost power at home but decided to come and open up shop, allowing customers to get necessary items.
“We’ve been here since about 9 open, we can only take cash or if you have good credit here, I trust ya,” Weddle said.
Botetourt County Sheriff Matt Ward said power is out in most southern parts of the county.
“All over the county, Troutville, Buchanan, Fincastle, northern end so much trees down, line down,” Ward said.
Ward had deputies at the Cloverdale intersection to manage traffic, and after a quick call, VDOT crews restored power.
“We definitely want this intersection to be controlled and safe as possible.”
George Porter with Appalachian Power said strong winds caused power outages in the Roanoke and New River Valleys.
“Throughout our entire service area, looking at 50,00 customers out,” Porter said.
AEP officials said as of Friday, they are assessing the damage and assigning crews to restore power, and with strong winds expected to continue into Saturday, they are urging folks, especially those who don’t have power, to now get a plan in place.
“Some people have been without power for 10-12 hours, especially with temperatures expected to drop, it could be a situation where it could be life-threatening,” Porter said. “So we want customers to prepare for that and be aware of that.”