SUFFOLK, Va. — Dominion Energy is working to restore power to thousands of customers after Friday night's storms across Hampton Roads and northeastern North Carolina.
According to a Dominion Energy spokesperson, Suffolk was among the hardest-hit areas, with wind gusts near 70 mph causing significant damage. Damage was also reported in the Isle of Wight, Ivor, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth.
Roanoke Rapids in northeastern North Carolina experienced extensive storm damage.
As of 6:30 p.m. Saturday, approximately 6,100 customers were without power, down from about 42,000 at the peak of the storm, officials said. Power outages fluctuate due to falling trees and branches, and many will be restored by 11 p.m. tonight, although some outages are expected to last into tomorrow.
Restoration begins with damage assessment at each site, and customers can track updates on Dominion Energy's app and outage map at outagemap.dominionenergy.com.
Crews are replacing roughly a dozen broken poles in Suffolk and Isle of Wight and about 40 broken poles in Roanoke Rapids. Pole replacement is time-consuming due to the need to remove old poles and set new ones. The storm downed multiple spans of wire and broke several cross-arms, further affecting the restoration process.
Downed trees and storm debris have blocked roadways, impacting access to damaged sites. Dominion Energy has called in crews from nearby offices and contractors to assist.
Residents are advised to avoid downed power lines and report them by calling (866) DOM-HELP.
This article was researched, reported, and written by a WTKR News 3 journalist. AI was used to minimize typos and ensure style continuity.
