FRANKLIN, Va — Icy conditions moved into Franklin Saturday, prompting residents to take extra precautions before venturing out on slick roads.
I'm reporting from Franklin, where ice covers the ground and few drivers are on the roads. Those who did head out are taking it slow as the community deals with weather-related impacts.
Some residents spent the morning preparing before heading out in the icy conditions.
"Once I can come out here and it's not that bad I go ahead and try to clean the car off because I know it's more safe and ice won't be flying all off on people's cars," Cornelius Morgan said.
Morgan lives in Franklin and says clearing ice ahead of time helps when he's planning to hit the road.
"If I'm in a rush to go to work, I like to crank the car up and let it warm up and go, so I come over here and prep the day before, get all the ice off the car," Morgan said.
Roads stayed relatively quiet, but drivers who did venture out ran into problems near Armory Drive where a power outage shut down traffic lights and nearby stores.
"I went outside and our road wasn't bad so I'm like I'm going to Food Lion to get some chicken we wanted some chicken and didn't have any. And as soon as I get to the intersection of College and Armory I saw everything go black, and I'm like well not getting chicken right now," Todd Mason said.
Mason says his lights had been flickering earlier, but the outage hit suddenly around noon.
"I called my wife to say hey the power is out over here, she goes well the power just went out at home too so we made it through," Mason said.
Franklin Power says a fallen tree branch knocked out electricity to roughly 1,000 customers near Armory Drive and crews restored power within 30 to 45 minutes.
Director of Franklin Power & Light Zach Wright says crews are working to restore power before another round comes back through the area.
"This is the second time it's been like this but it has not been this bad like I say tonight, it's going to tell the story," Morgan said.
Some roads in Franklin are still a bit icy, so if you're going anywhere, give yourself some space and time. As of now both Southampton County Schools and Franklin City Public Schools will be closed on Monday.
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