The winds have caused numerous power outages throughout the Roanoke Valley.

At its peak there were about 1,000 residents in Halifax County without power, said Buddy Wrenn, county emergency manager coordinator.

While there has been a steady decrease in the power outages, trees are actively falling, he said. “To my knowledge there has been no structural damage to single family dwellings. I definitely suggest people be aware of limbs and shallow-rooted trees. There may be sporadic power outages throughout the day. It’s definitely trending in the right direction. We’re still getting calls about trees actively falling.”

Roanoke Rapids Public Works Director Larry Chalker said, “So far we’ve been lucky in the city. We’ve only had a few limbs down. There were some down last night causing scattered power outages and Dominion was right on top of that.”

Chalker said thus far the department has not discovered any structural damage in the city. “We do expect trees or limbs to fall before 10 p.m.”

He said Dominion is mobilizing at the theater, bringing in bucket trucks and crews.

As of this report, Dominion’s outage map shows approximately 77 customers without power in Halifax County and about 446 without power in Northampton County.

In its latest social media post, Halifax Electric reported, “Our service area is experiencing sustained winds of 25 miles per hour today with occasional gusts of up to 44 miles per hour. These winds are blowing tree limbs onto our power lines which has caused outages. At this time we have approximately 100 members without power. Crews are diligently working to restore power.”

A Dominion employee surveys a line this morning.

Dominion said in a statement this morning, “Our patrol teams are out in force to locate and assess damage as quickly and safely as possible. They will ensure we get the right resources to the right locations. Early damage assessments have been consistent with typical wind storms: downed wires and broken crossarms, as well as some fallen trees and broken utility poles.”

Dominion has brought in additional restoration workers and “will continue to work around the clock as quickly and safely as possible until power is restored to all customers. Very high wind and extreme weather conditions remain possible, which may temporarily delay restoration.”

The company says to beware of any lines that may have fallen or come into contact with trees, debris, or water as they could be energized. “Stay at least 30 feet away and make sure your family, pets, and neighbors also avoid the downed wire.”

Call Dominion Energy right away at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) to speak with an agent to report downed wires.