Orange County Sheriff Encourages Residents to Stay Off the Road

The snow has started back up in Orange County Monday morning and road conditions across the county are deteriorating quickly. Monday’s snow comes after Winter Storm Diego rolled through central North Carolina early Sunday morning leaving several inches of snow in its wake.

Cold rain throughout Sunday and into early Monday helped emergency crews clear some major roadways. But those roads were quickly becoming covered with snow on Monday as heavy snow fell once again.

School districts across central North Carolina are closed Monday due to the storm.

Overall, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said the county is “in good shape.” He added that many residents seemed to heed the warning to stay off the roads on Sunday, but he reiterated that those same cautions extended into Monday.

If you must drive, Blackwood said, stay well below the speed limit and maintain a safe distance with other motorists.

The sheriff encouraged residents to check in on neighbors and those who may be in need as the snow continued to pile up on Monday. If you know of someone who may need assistance, you can also contact the sheriff’s office.

“We’ve got a group of volunteers and a team of community outreach folks that go out into the communities and do what we can to solve problems for folks,” Blackwood said. “So, if you know somebody that’s in a serious situation, without power or without heat, let us know about it, and we’ll either get them to a place or get a heat source to them that is safe.”

Emergency management officials continue to encourage residents to only use safe heating sources and not bring in anything from outside that could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

There are nearly 2,000 Orange County customers without power on Monday morning; that number is down from a peak of nearly 5,000.

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