SMITHFIELD, Va. — Residents in Smithfield are dealing with dangerous icy conditions and lingering power outages after this past weekend’s winter storm turned many neighborhoods into what some describe as a “skating rink.”
Several residents told WTKR News 3 they were without power for nearly 24 hours following the storm and remain concerned about strong winds and falling trees as recovery continues.
“When the sun was out, it was really beautiful, like a little wonderland,” said Kimberly Parkhurst, a Smithfield resident.
Parkhurst said the storm was nice to watch as it came down, but more than a day later, conditions around her home remain hazardous.
“Yes, it’s very treacherous. Everything is covered in ice,” Parkhurst said.
She showed how thick the ice is around her property and said walking even a short distance from her home can be difficult.
In addition to the ice, Parkhurst said losing power Sunday night around 7 p.m. created additional challenges.
“No water, because we have a well and the well pump shuts off. Nothing to heat the well pump, so you’re praying it doesn’t freeze up,” she said.
The Smithfield area is served by Dominion Energy and Community Electric Cooperative. Dominion Energy reported approximately 11,000 outages across the Smithfield, Suffolk, and Isle of Wight County area since the storm.
The company said crews have been dealing with stubborn outages caused by trees and ice weighing down power lines. In some cases, power is restored only to go out again when additional trees snap under the pressure of accumulating ice.
“So tonight we’ll pray we don’t have any wind come up, because that would be really bad. We would lose power again,” Parkhurst said.
Parkhurst said her power was restored just after 6 p.m. Monday. While she waits for conditions to improve, she said she is grateful for the line crews working around the clock.
“They’ve been awesome, and I’ve seen them out here working nonstop,” she said.
