Dominion solar spots help residents recharge devices as thousands wait for their power to come back

LOUISA COUNTY, Va. (WWBT) - As the second winter storm approaches, crews are working around the clock to restore power to thousands of Virginians who lost electricity during Monday’s snowstorm.

In Louisa, a mobile charging station was parked in the Food Lion parking lot to help residents in the area who are still in the dark, including Stephanie Fedder, who lost power in her Mineral home on Monday morning.

Fedder was able to charge her phone and tablet at the Solar Spot by Dominion Energy.

“I can get both of my devices charged up and hopefully make it through until the power comes back on,” she said.

Beth Bodson, who works with a third-party firm that’s contracted by Dominion Energy, helped people charge their phones and also passed out bottled water and snacks to families who came by.

“A lot of people coming out and charging devices for their neighbors and helping everybody out,” she said.

In Louisa County, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative said more than 9,000 of the members they serve in this area are still in the dark.

“As a resident of Louisa myself, the damage around here in our community is very bad. It’s horrible,” said Casey Hollins, managing director for communications and public relations at REC. “It’s taking our crews a tremendous amount of time and effort to get through a ton of downed trees that then lead them to the downed power lines and the broken poles.”

Hollins said crews are working around the clock to restore power as quickly as possible.

“All of the substations in Louisa have been restored and the crews are now focused on any of the circuits remaining out of those substations to get those back on,” she said.

In anticipation of Thursday night’s winter storm, Hollins said hundreds of additional crews are on their way to lend a helping hand.

“If we do have additional damage by this second storm, they’ll be here to help us get the power back on,” Hollins said. “If we’re lucky and the second storm doesn’t cause problems, they’ll work to repair the damage we already have.”

A spokesperson for Dominion Energy also hopes nearly all their customers in Louisa County will have their power restored by Friday night.

A moment Fedder is looking forward to.

“I would just hope that they keep working as hard as they can to get the electric restored for everybody,” she said.

Another Solar Spot location was open in Albemarle County to help residents who didn’t have power.

The County of Louisa is also asking residents to prepare for this next winter storm by doing the following:

• Exercising portable heater safety, per the office of Virginia Department of Energy Management guidelines
• Staying off the roads when possible
• Preparing an emergency kit for their car if they must travel
• Staying hydrated to help avoid Hypothermia
• Utilizing the warming shelter at the Holly Grove Fire Department or overnight shelter at the Louisa County Middle School. See https://www.louisacounty.com/AlertCenter.aspx?AID=9 for details.
• Following National Weather Service updates

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