The winter storm that swept across the midwestern United States mostly diminished into a rain event by the time it crossed into Macon County, but the county still saw power outages and closures from the storm.
The threat of freezing weather caused Macon County and the Town of Franklin to issue a state of emergency to ensure public officials could more effectively respond to the storm if necessary.
Communications Director Todd Seagle said the state was still in effect as of Tuesday morning, but it would likely be terminated Tuesday afternoon. He said he did not believe there was a significant uptick in calls over the weekend.
“We were very lucky it was uneventful,” Seagle said.
Power
Duke Energy said power has been restored to nearly 5,000 Macon County customers since the storm. Duke serves 27,000 customers in the county.
Closures
Macon County Schools closed Monday, Jan. 26, due to the saturated ground and “extreme frigid temperatures” Sunday night. The school system encouraged families to stay safe and warm. Schools were on a three-hour delay for Tuesday, Jan. 27.
Macon County Transit closed Monday as well.
County Manager Warren Cabe said the Highlands Road convenience center was forced to shut down at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24, after a power outage. All convenience centers opened Monday at 9 a.m. to allow staff time to determine whether the public could come in safely.
Roads
N.C. Department of Transportation County Maintenance Engineer Austin Phillips said the roads are in good condition and all primary and secondary roads in Macon County were treated Sunday evening and Monday with no reports of icing, save for some gravel roads in Highlands.
Franklin Public Works Director Bill Deal said the town fared well after treating the roads with brine ahead of and following the storm. He said there were some downed limbs, but by Sunday afternoon everything had been cleaned up and the roads were safe, and as of Tuesday morning there were no reports of ice on the roads.
Deal noted there were two sewage pump stations at Fox Ridge and Brookside Drive that lost power, but both had generator backup and there were no lapses in service.
Warming station
No Wrong Door’s Downtown Door warming station was opened from Jan 24-27, serving an average of 25-30 people per night, Director Sheila Jenkins said. She said the warming station was a little busier than usual lately and would be open the evening of the Jan. 27 as well and would likely be open every night this week if the temperatures stay low.
“We can always use some volunteers,” Jenkins said. “And I just want to shout out to the community, they’re awesome to provide food.”
Those interested in volunteering or providing meals can contact the center at 828-349-3366.