Shelter, food, charging ports: Here’s where to find help in Moore County power outage

Kristen Johnson, Korie Dean, Kimberly Cataudella

Parts of Moore County remain without power Tuesday after intentional damage to two substations cut off electricity to more than 30,000 residents.

Officials in the county estimate power could be off until Thursday, and on Sunday afternoon, they declared a state of emergency with a curfew taking effect from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The FBI and State Bureau of Investigation have joined the county’s law enforcement to investigate the outage that was caused by firearms to the substations in what officials have called “intentional” damage on Saturday night.

Moore County residents left in the dark for most of the week are being encouraged by officials to conserve gas, check on neighbors and take advantage of resources available for help.

Here’s where you can get assistance for medical needs, charging stations, food and shelter.

Medical assistance and transportation

Moore County’s transportation services are operating only for clients who have scheduled dialysis, chemotherapy and radiation treatment, the county website says. All other Moore County operations are canceled for Monday with plans of limited coverage on Tuesday.

For assistance for deaf, hard-of-hearing or blind residents, call 1-800-735-2962.

FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital is operating on a backup generator and has enough fuel to last “for several days,” with the ability to get more fuel as needed, said Gretchen Kelly, a spokesperson for the hospital.

The Clara McLean House, a hospitality house on the hospital’s campus, is also running on generator power. Local residents who need help charging their medical equipment are welcome to access the hospitality house for those needs, Kelly said. Community members who have general, non-medical charging needs should look to shelter sites in the community.

The hospital canceled elective surgeries and procedures for Tuesday, Dec. 6. Moore Regional’s primary care, specialty care clinics and Convenient Care clinics throughout Moore County continue to be closed.

Shelters, showers, warm buildings in Moore County

▪ Moore County Sports Complex: Located at 155 Hillcrest Park Ln. in Carthage. The American Red Cross is on-site to assist those needing their services. If you need a ride to get to the shelter, call 910-847-6317.

▪ The Southern Pines Public Library: Located at 170 W Connecticut Ave. in Southern Pines. Will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide a warm building for the community. Charging stations will be available, along with snacks, warm drinks and board games. Typical library services are unavailable.

▪ The Lee County Main Library: Located at 107 Hawkins Ave. in Sanford. This library, in neighboring Lee County, will be open to Moore County residents for warming, electronic charging needs, using the internet and more. The library is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

▪ The Southern Pines Police Department: Located at 450 West Pennsylvania Ave. in Southern Pines. The Haney Community Room will remain open indefinitely, at all hours of the day, for community members to get out the cold and charge their devices. They ask for residents to let dispatch know they are using the room. The department can be reached at 910-692-2732.

▪ Yates Thagard Baptist Church has shower units on site. The church is located at 3820 Vass-Carthage Rd. in Carthage.

▪ First Baptist Church of Pinehurst has trailers set up and available for showers, as well as areas for laundry. The church will also serve a meal at 6 p.m. The church is located at 7373 NC-211 in West End.

▪ Aberdeen First Baptist has shower and laundry units on site and will operate 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. beginning Tuesday. The church is located at 700 N. Sandhills Blvd. in Aberdeen.

▪ Sandhills Baptist Association will be set up by 11 a.m. on Tuesday for showers. The are located at 5254 US 15-501 in Carthage.

▪ Southern Pines Fire Station 82 is open for shower facilities. The fire station is located at 7850 NC Hwy 22 in Carthage.

Where to get food or snacks in Moore County

▪ All six Food Lion locations in Moore County will distribute free water to residents Tuesday beginning 10 a.m. Each family will receive one free case of water, while supplies last. These are the six Moore County locations:

  • 1680 NC Hwy 5 Ste 90 in Aberdeen

  • 1832 N. Sandhills Blvd. in Aberdeen

  • 7475 NC Hwy 22 in Carthage

  • 1005 Monroe St. in Carthage

  • 1075 7 Lakes Dr. in Seven Lakes

  • 10205 US 15-501 Hwy. Unit 37 in Southern Pines

▪ Grace Church Southern Pines will have lunch, hot drinks and charging stations available on Tuesday from noon to 2 p.m. Located at 1519 Luther Way in Southern Pines.

▪ New Covenant Fellowship will provide soup and sandwiches on Tuesday beginning at noon. The church is located at 1305 Hulsey Road in Carthage.

▪ The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina will host a pop-up, no-cost food distribution at the old Aberdeen Elementary School from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesday. Please bring your own boxes or bags, if possible. The school is located at 503 N Sandhills Blvd in Aberdeen.

▪ Crains Creek Fire Department will have a hotdog vendor at 12 p.m. At 5 p.m. they will be serving rice and chicken gumbo. The fire department is located at 4525 Lobelia Rd. in Vass.

▪ Lupita’s Bakery will be giving out hot dogs, barbecue sandwiches, coffee and orange juice for those who are in need of a warm meal Tuesday 1 p.m. until supplies run out. The bakery is located at 324 N Walnut St in Pinebluff.

▪ The Marketplace Restaurant has snacks, coffee and firewood until supplies run out located in the back of the restaurant. The restaurant is located at 246 Olmsted Blvd in Pinehurst.

▪ Dowd Contracting and Squared Away Clean Out Services will be serving hot dogs and baked beans in the area between the McDonalds and John Deere store in Carthage from 4 to 6 p.m. They will also have the dump trailer there for you to bring all of your food that needs to be tossed. They are located near 804 Monroe St in Carthage.

▪ Yates Thagard Baptist Church in Whispering Pines will offer an authentic Mexican dinner for Church family and the community beginning at 5 p.m. The church is located at 3820 Vass-Carthage Rd. in Carthage.

▪ First Baptist Church of Pinehurst will serve a meal at 6 p.m. The church also has trailers set up and available for showers, as well as areas for laundry. The church is located at 7373 NC-211 in West End.

Moore County officials say those impacted by the power outage can pick up free meals Tuesday between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. at the following locations:

  • Hillcrest Sports Complex, located at 155 Hillcrest Park Lane in Carthage. This will be an outside service managed by the Public Safety Commercial Kitchen Trailer.

  • Southern Pines Fire Station 82, located at 7850 NC Hwy 22 in Carthage. This will be an inside service managed in the commercial grade kitchen. They are also open for shower facilities.

  • The old Aberdeen Elementary School, located at 503 N Sandhills Blvd. in Aberdeen. This will be a drive-thru service.

Free charging stations and WiFi in Moore County

▪ Pinehurst Fire Station 91 will be open to the public to charge electronic devices every day this week from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Located at 405 Magnolia Road in Pinehurst.

▪ Roseland United Methodist Church will be open Tuesday from 9 a.m. to noon for residents to charge electronics. Free internet and coffee will also be available. Located at 181 Roseridge Road in Aberdeen.

▪ RockFish Church will open 12 p.m. daily until power is restored. They will have lunch, WiFi, work areas and charging stations. Located at 16433 U.S. Hwy 15 501 in Aberdeen.

(Source: pinehurstmedical.com/resources)

This story will be updated with more resources.

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