CUMBERLAND: 57 more people in shelters
The number of Cumberland County residents staying in four emergency shelters increased Friday afternoon to 167.
The number had been 110 the day before.
It wasn’t clear from county officials why the uptick, and they don’t know how long the shelters will remain open after Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 8 flooded homes, washed out streets and knocked out power in several communities.
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr and U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, both Republicans, were in Fayetteville on Friday, meeting volunteers at Cedar Falls Baptist Church who are helping with hurricane relief efforts and then seeing a Shawcroft Road washout at the entrance to the King’s Grant subdivision off Ramsey Street. With them were Mayor Nat Robertson and council members Jim Arp and Kathy Jensen.
Meanwhile, the Fayetteville Public Works Commission said the number of customers without power was down to about 100, including damaged properties that can’t be reconnected yet. Linemen from PWC plan to help the town of Red Springs within the next few days, and the PWC is assisting the N.C. Emergency Management Office’s call for potable water filling locations. Tankers will fill up at PWC’s water treatment plants and head to hard-hit Lumberton, which is expected to be without water for two weeks.
Other area electric providers continue to reduce their outage backlogs. Lumbee River Electric Membership Corp. had 28 Cumberland County customers in the dark. And Duke Energy said Friday it had 31 powerless customers in the county - but 7,500 in neighboring Robeson County.
Fayetteville’s City Hall has asked landlords to notify it of vacancies, so the city can compile a list for residents who have become homeless by Matthew. Landlords should call Adolph Thomas at 433-1935, or email him at athomas@ci.fay.nc.us.
And the state announced Friday that because so many people have been displaced from their homes, it has received a federal waiver that allows food stamp recipients in all 100 counties to use their EBT cards to buy hot prepared food for immediate compensation - an item not normally eligible.