Orange County has declared a state of emergency after a snowstorm dumped as much as 12 inches of snow in some parts of the county on Wednesday.

The declaration was signed by Orange County Board of Commissioners chair Mark Dorosin.

The state of emergency declaration is issued “for the safety and well-being of residents,” according to the county. The declaration allows a county to implement emergency procedures. It is also the initial step for receiving state or federal resources or reimbursements, if those will eventually be needed.

The declaration will automatically expire in five days unless it is modified or rescinded.

Orange County emergency officials urge residents to stay inside due to extreme cold weather and impassable roads until conditions improve.

The winter weather led to some power outages across the county. At its peak, there were more than 3,000 Duke Energy customers without power in Orange County. Most of the power outages were focused on Fordham Boulevard in Chapel Hill between Raleigh and Sage roads.

Power outages were reported throughout the afternoon, beginning around 12:30 p.m.

While some outages were restored overnight, more than 1,000 Orange County residents are still without power as of 5 a.m. Thursday. There’s still no word from Duke Energy on when those outages will be restored.

Authorities also responded to dozens of crashes across the county on Wednesday.

One Chapel Hill firefighter had to be taken to a local hospital to receive treatment for non-life threatening injuries sustained when multiple departments fought a fire at a vacant unit of a public housing community on Wednesday.

The storm has caused closings and delays to continue into Thursday.

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