Residents make the most of power outages after Matthew
THAN HURRICANE FLOYD 17 YEARS
AGO.
>>> CREWS ARE MAKING PROGRESS,
BUT THE POWER IS STILL OUT FOR
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
ACROSS THE STATE.
HERE IN OUR AREA, WAKE COUNTY
HAS MORE THAN 42,000 CUSTOMERS
WITHOUT POWER TONIGHT.
IN ROBINSON COUNTY NEARLY
22,000 CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER,
WAYNE COUNTY, NEARLY 21,000,
AND JOHNSTON COUNTY NEARLY
18,000 POWER OUTAGES.
ADAM OWENS HAS BEEN WITH CREWS
WORKING TO RESTORE POWER ACROSS
THE AREA TONIGHT, AND HE JOINS
US LIVE NOW.
YOU'RE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THEY
JUST GOT POWER A SHORT TIME
AGO, THEY MUST BE MAKING SOME
HAPPY DANCES OUT THERE I'M
SURE.
>> REPORTER: YEAH, I'M SURE.
I CAN HEAR THE TAP DANCING A
LITTLE IF I STAY QUIET ENOUGH,
BUT THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF
WHAT'S HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE
CITY.
WE PULLED INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE POWER,
AND IN JUST THE LAST SEVERAL
MINUTES THE POWER HAS BEEN
RESTORED.
AGAIN, ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE OF
THE STRUGGLE AND THE WORK
THAT'S GOING ON TONIGHT AND IT
COULD BE DAYS BEFORE OTHER
PEOPLE HAVE THIS GOOD NEWS.
LIFE IN THE DARK CAN BE
FRUSTRATING.
>> I DON'T THINK YOU REALLY
REALIZE HOW MUCH YOU DEPEND ON
IT.
>> REPORTER: BUT IN THIS HOME,
THE CANDLE LIGHT IS ALSO
ROMANTIC.
>> HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.
>> THANK YOU!
[ LAUGHTER ]
>> JUST ENJOY BEING TOGETHER ON
A SPECIAL DAY.
>> IT'S LIKE CAMPING OUT.
>> REPORTER: AND THEY COULD BE
CAMPING OUT LIKE THIS FOR DAYS.
>> IT'S A MAJOR HISTORICAL
STORM THAT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME
TIME TO REPAIR.
>> REPORTER: ON GRAYSON STREET
WE FOUND THESE WORKERS.
THE WHITE TRUCKS THEY RODE IN
ON LOOK LIKE WHITE HORSES TO
NEIGHBORS ALL AROUND THEM.
>> THE DOWNED TREE PULLED DOWN
NOT ONLY THE POWER LINES, BUT
POLES AS WELL.
>> REPORTER: THIS CREW IS
WORKING TO GET THEM BACK UP,
BUT REPLACING THAT KIND OF
DAMAGE TAKES TIME, AND THIS
KIND OF DAMAGE CAN BE FOUND ALL
OVER.
>> SO MANY TREES DOWN, THERE'S
FLOODED AREAS THAT WE CAN'T
EVEN GET TO YET, AND THAT'S
PREVENTING US FROM BEING ABLE
TO QUICKLY RESTORE SOME
OUTAGES.
>> REPORTER: JEFF BROOKS SAYS
HE GETS IT.
HE KNOWS THERE'S FRUSTRATION,
FOR THE MOMENT THOUGH THE PRICE
FAMILY IS MAKING THE BEST OF
IT.
>> WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT FUN.
MAYBE IN A FEW DAYS ASK US
AGAIN [ LAUGHTER ]
>> REPORTER: THERE'S SOME
HONORSLY FOR YOU, AND IF YOU
WANT -- HONESTY FOR YOU, AND IF
YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY SOME AREAS
ARE GETTING THE POWER BACK ON,
DUKE ENERGY ALREADY HAD AROUND
5,000 WORKERS IN OUR REGION.
THEY DOUBLED THAT NUMBER BY
BRINGING PEOPLE FROM OUT OF THE
AREA INTO THE AREA TO MAXIMIZE
THEIR ARMY TO CONTINUE WORKING
TO GET POWER ON.
SOME AS FAR AS AWAY AS CANADA,
SOME OF THE WORKERS WORKING IN
THE TRIANGLE AREA TONIGHT.
POWER HAS BEEN RESTORED TO
900,000 PEOPLE IN THE CAROLINAS
IN THE LAST 48 HOURS.
LINDA, BACK TO YOU.
>> THAT'S A LOT OF WORK.
ADAM OWENS, LIVE IN WAKE