ELIZABETH CITY VA. — For the second weekend in a row, preparations were taking place Friday in Northeast North Carolina as the area braced for a winter storm.
“We're already moving crews so that they will be in place and we are moving equipment," said Dominion Energy Spokesperson Cherise Newsome.
“About the time we wrapped up last weekend, we pretty much rolled into prep for this week," North Carolina Department of Transportation Maintenance Engineer Caleb Sawyer said.
Watch: All hands on deck: Outer Banks preps for winter storm
From power to plows, the usual preparations were being made. But unlike the previous weekend, there was some concern the snow may not be the biggest problem this time.
“The wind is going to present a challenge to our power lines," Newsome said.
As News 3 has reported, Northeast North Carolina, particularly the Outer Banks, could see wind gusts over 50 miles an hour. That could bring down power lines and could delay crews getting power restored.
Live blog: Forecast for snow in Hampton Roads goes up as storm approaches
“Our crews will not work in those bucket trucks when there are sustained winds and gusts at 35 miles per hour and higher," Newsome explained.
The wind could also be a problem for North Carolina Department of Transportation crews trying to clear roads.
“If we start seeing some high winds, that it’s unsafe for even us to be out there, we may have to stop some of our operations," said Sawyer.
Watch: NCDOT crews prepare for uncertain northeast N.C. winter weather
While the wind could blow snow off the road, that's not necessarily helpful. "The wind can help in some instances, but it's going to make snowdrifts in other instances," Sawyer said. "So wherever it helps it'll hurt in other areas."
The wind was on the mind of one local News 3 talked with Thursday who was running some errands to prepare for the storm.
Watch: What's difference between a Winter Storm Watch, an Advisory, and a Warning?
“We had eight and a half inches last year. We made it through that. So this shouldn’t be too much worse than that, except for the wind," said Keith Robinson. "We do lose power when we have storms. Other than that, we just have to ride it out.”
As of Friday, Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools had canceled class for students Monday, February 2 because of the storm. Teachers and staff were given an optional work day Monday.
