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Moore County, North Carolina, has declared a authorities of exigency arsenic powerfulness outages proceed after a "deliberate" attack over the play successful which gunfire damaged 2 substations. The onslaught near astir 45,000 radical without powerfulness successful North Carolina.
Under the authorities of emergency, a curfew is successful spot from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. each night, and residents of the region are encouraged to conserve fuel.
Jeff Brooks, a spokesperson for Duke Energy, said Monday that the institution had restored powerfulness to astir 7,000 customers. About 38,000 stay without power, and Brooks said that it's apt afloat restoration won't hap until Wednesday oregon Thursday. In a press release shared earlier successful the day, Duke Energy wide manager Jason Hollifield said "the harm is beyond repair successful immoderate areas."
"That leaves america with nary enactment but to regenerate ample pieces of instrumentality — which is not an casual oregon speedy task," said Hollifield said.
The outage has besides rendered wastewater pumps successful the country retired of order, and schools successful the region person been closed. Traffic lights are besides out. Emergency shelters person been opened to the public.
In Carthage, residents Steve and Meg Wilkins' unheated location has dipped to 55 degrees.
"This is not what I wanted to beryllium doing contiguous oregon past nighttime oregon the nighttime before," Steve Wilkins said. "Stringing powerfulness cords. Eating acold ham."
Power outages were archetypal reported to constabulary connected Saturday, Dec. 3, soon aft 7:00 p.m., according to Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields. When inferior companies responded to the substations, "evidence was discovered that indicated that intentional vandalism had occurred astatine aggregate sites," Fields said Sunday.
One of the Moore County powerfulness stations.
The Pilot newspaper, Southern Pines
In a press league held Sunday afternoon, Fields said that the harm had been caused by gunfire. Fields said that the country was the aforesaid astatine some sites, calling the attacks "targeted" and carried by a idiosyncratic oregon persons who "knew precisely what they were doing."
No motive has been provided for the attack, which is being investigated arsenic a transgression act. In his Sunday property conference, Fields could not accidental if the incidental rises to the level of home terrorism.
On Monday afternoon, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas addressed the situation, saying the onslaught "appears to person been deliberate."
"We are moving with vigor companies successful section communities to code the concern impacting the powerfulness that reaches homes successful the targeted neighborhoods," Mayorkas said. "The question is, is it an enactment of malfeasance oregon otherwise? Early grounds suggests that it was deliberate. And the probe is underway."
The Charlotte, North Carolina, bureau of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is besides looking into the attack. On Sunday, the FBI bureau told CBS News it was "investigating the willful harm to powerfulness facilities" successful the area, but declined to remark further due to the fact that the probe was ongoing.
Signage astatine 1 of the powerfulness stations.
The Pilot newspaper, Southern Pines
On Monday afternoon, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper called the onslaught a "criminal act" successful a property conference.
"This was an intentional onslaught that caused important harm to people," Cooper said.
In January, a bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security, obtained by CBS News, warned that home convulsive extremists "have developed credible, circumstantial plans to onslaught energy infrastructure since astatine slightest 2020, identifying the electrical grid arsenic a peculiarly charismatic target." But DHS has not issued immoderate connection connecting the existent concern successful Moore County to extremism.
The U.S. has astir 55,000 substations. Earlier this twelvemonth "60 Minutes" reported connected however susceptible they often are.
"There's a precise fewer fig of substations you request to instrumentality retired successful the full United States to sound retired the full grid," Jon Wellinghoff, erstwhile president of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, told "60 Minutes" analogous BIll Whitaker.
CBS News' Mark Strassmann and Nicole Sganga contributed reporting.
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