Tens of thousands of North Carolinians remained without power in Moore County on Tuesday after gun attacks on power substations that were described by Gov. Roy Cooper as a potential act of domestic terrorism.
Duke Energy said more than 36,000 customers remained without power. Schools were closed for a second day, leaving parents to wait for a late afternoon decision about Wednesday.
Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields, the State Bureau of Investigation and the FBI are investigating the deliberate attacks at two sites.
Mr. Cooper, a Democrat, said Monday he visited both substations and that protecting the elderly and vulnerable will be a priority.
“I’m always concerned about critical infrastructure and we certainly need to learn from this incident as to what we may need to do because these kinds of things cannot happen,” Mr. Cooper said.
Duke Energy has said it could take until Thursday to restore power to all customers. Equipment damaged in the attacks had to be replaced.
“Violence of any kind is unacceptable, and law enforcement is absolutely dedicated to getting to the bottom of what happened in Moore County,” North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said in a statement.
State Rep. Ben Moss, a Republican whose district includes Moore County, condemned the attack in a Facebook post.
“This attack on critical infrastructure is reprehensible, and the responsible party needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible,” he wrote, before praising electrical workers and first responders. “Moore County is and will continue to be a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family, and this criminal act will not change that.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the administration would “provide any assistance needed to help them on the ground.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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