Special to Iredell Free News

More than 5,000 EnergyUnited members were without power on Tuesday morning due to the widespread impact of severe storms that moved across the cooperative’s service area Monday evening.

During the peak of the storm, nearly 20,000 members were without power.

EnergyUnited is continuing to assess storm damage across its system and is anticipating a multi-day restoration effort, with power being restored to all members by Wednesday night. EnergyUnited has received assistance from utility companies and electric cooperatives to support this effort.

As crews work to restore power to EnergyUnited members, it is important to remember that the safety of employees, members and communities is the cooperative’s top priority. Downed power lines represent a significant threat following major storms. Always assume that any line you see is energized and deadly. Please stay away from all lines, whether they are on the ground or hanging overhead.

Additionally, please remember the importance of using generators safely as well. Never use a portable generator indoors, due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Portable generators should only be used outdoors in well-ventilated areas, when necessary to power essential equipment.

To view the latest outage information from EnergyUnited, members can visit our Outage Map, which is accessible through My EnergyHub and on energyunited.com. Members can also report outages by calling 1-800-EUNITED.

About EnergyUnited

EnergyUnited Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) is the largest electric cooperative in North Carolina with 139,158 member connections. Headquartered in Statesville, EnergyUnited provides electric service in portions of nineteen counties in west central North Carolina which include Alexander, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stokes, Wilkes and Yadkin. Visit EnergyUnited online at www.energyunited.com to learn more about our energy service offerings and community programs.