Attack on Substations Leaves Thousands Without Power in North Carolina
Summary from the AllSides News Team
An apparent attack on electrical substations in Moore County, North Carolina on Saturday left thousands without power and prompted emergency declarations from local officials.
For Context: Roughly 35,000 homes remained without power Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. At a press conference on Sunday, Moore County's sheriff said some substations had been shot at by gunfire in a "targeted" attack. The county declared a state of emergency, issued a curfew on Sunday, and closed schools on Monday. The outages could reportedly last until Thursday, and the FBI is now investigating.
Key Quote: "As utility companies began responding to the different substations, evidence was discovered that indicated that intentional vandalism had occurred at multiple sites," the Moore County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. The sheriff also said Sunday that his office had "not been able to tie anything" to reports that the attack may have been an attempt to disturb a local drag show that was held on Saturday night.
How the Media Covered It: The attack and outages were a top story from news sources across the political spectrum Monday. Left- and center-rated sources often highlighted the possible drag show connection; right-rated sources didn't.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
North Carolina county may be days without power after “targeted” attackAn alleged attack on multiple electrical substations left 60 percent of North Carolina's Moore County without power over the weekend in what local and state authorities are investigating as a "criminal occurrence."
What's happening: About 45,000 homes and businesses in Moore County, about 70 miles southwest of Raleigh, were plunged into darkness on Saturday night, the Moore County Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post.
Around 35,000 homes remained without power Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.us, a website that aggregates data from utilities.
At a press conference Sunday evening, Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields said...
From the Left
FBI joins investigation into North Carolina power outage caused by ‘intentional’ attacks on substationsWith no suspects or motive announced, the FBI is joining the investigation into power outages in a North Carolina county believed to have been caused by “intentional” and “targeted” attacks on substations that left around 40,000 customers in the dark Saturday night, prompting a curfew and emergency declaration.
The mass outage in Moore County turned into a criminal investigation when responding utility crews found signs of potential vandalism of equipment at different sites – including two substations that had been damaged by gunfire, according to the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.
“The person,...
From the Right
Curfew enacted in North Carolina after gunfire leaves 45,000 without powerA gunfire attack on two power stations in North Carolina Saturday night resulted in 45,000 losing power and a mandated curfew across an entire county.
Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields announced the evening curfew from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. in an attempt to protect citizens affected by the power outage, which has affected traffic lights. Both stations affected were part of the Duke Energy network and were vandalized on top of taking on gunfire. Its crews are working 24-hour shifts to restore power.
"Duke Energy is pursuing multiple repair paths to restore as many customers as possible,...
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