Duke Energy: All equipment damaged in NC shooting now fixed

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Duke Energy said Wednesday that it has completed repairs on substation equipment damaged when it was shot up and that it expects power to be fully restored by the evening.

In a statement to customers on its website, the energy company said that all of the equipment damaged in an attack on two North Carolina substations Saturday has been fixed or replaced. The company said that Moore County customers will gradually get power back throughout the day as it finishes testing and completes restoration safely.

“To avoid overwhelming the electrical system we will bring power back on gradually, with the goal of having the majority of customers restored before midnight tonight,” the statement said.

As of late Wednesday morning, fewer than 20,000 customers were without power in the county, according to poweroutage.us. That’s down from a peak of more than 45,000 customers without power over the weekend.

Authorities have said the outages began shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday night after one or more people drove up to two substations, breached the gates and opened fire on them.

Schools are closed through Thursday. The Moore County School District will announce by Wednesday at 4 p.m. whether schools will be closed to students on Friday.

The county’s transportation services are operating only for clients who have scheduled dialysis, chemotherapy and radiation treatment, according to the Moore County website.

Hannah Schoenbaum, The Associated Press