First Posted: 2/16/2015

LUMBERTON — With forecasts now calling for freezing rain tonight and into Tuesday, local utility companies are preparing to respond to any outages that may occur.

“We’re getting all the trucks stocked up with materials, checking them out, getting them fueled up and ready to go in case we have anything overnight,” said Lamar Brayboy, director of Lumberton’s Electric Utilities Department.

Brayboy said it’s unclear how much wintry weather Robeson County will see tonight. Problems could arise, he said, if the county sees significant icing.

At 4 p.m. today, the National Weather Service was predicting rain and snow this evening, although there is only a 20 percent chance of precipitation. Earlier forecasts called for sleet.

There’s now a 100 percent chance of snow or sleet overnight, although little accumulation is expected. Rain and freezing rain are likely Tuesday morning and into Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday night could see some snow flurries, as temperatures drop as low as 25.

“Ice is more of a problem. We’re not too concerned about snow,” Brayboy said. Ice poses more of an issue to power lines because limbs weighted down by sheets of ice can snap and fall on the lines and occasionally motorists may slide into utility poles.

In the event of an outage, Lumberton utility customers can call the city’s communications line at 910-671-3888.

Duke Energy has been monitoring the oncoming storm since last week, and the company’s operations team was busy today checking inventory and making sure crews have all the equipment they need to address outages and repairs throughout the state.

Lee Freedman, a Duke Energy spokesperson, said the company is confident crews can handle the storm.

“If we do need additional resources and the storm is stronger than we think we can always bring in more resources from outside of the Carolinas,” Freedman said.

Freedman said Duke Energy workers will rest overnight, before setting out in the morning to assess whatever damage may have occurred overnight. From there, they’ll rank the repairs needed around the state, and will “work as quick as possible but also as safe as possible” to restore power, Freedman said.

Freedman encouraged customers to make sure they have flashlights and batteries and charge their phones in case the power goes out. In the event of an outage, he said, do not bring gas grills or generators inside for heat.

Duke Energy customers can check the status of outages and report outages by calling 1-800-PowerOn or visiting duke-energy.com.

The plan at Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation is to “hope for the best and plan for the worst,” according to spokesman Walter White.

“We’re just trying to keep an eye on the weather. We’re also sending some extra vehicles home with our employees so they will be able to respond quicker if they need to,” White said, noting the company is operating with an abundance of caution.

White said crews’ response Tuesday will largely depend on how much precipitation falls and what kind. Freezing rain, he said, would be the worst outcome.

“It can accumulate on wires, trees limbs, things like that and cause us to have problems with wires falling,” White said.

White urged customers to report downed power lines.

“Safety of the general public and of our employees is our utmost responsibility,” he said. “If anyone sees any lines down on the ground do not go near it, assume it is energized and call us to take care of it.”

Customers with Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation should call 910-843-4131 to report outages or downed lines. An outage map can be found at outages.lumbeeriver.com.