Weather warms, but some still without power

Stephanie Eanes woke up when the power went off at 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning and went back to bed.

By the time she woke up at 9:30 a.m., the power was restored to her home on Whispering Pines Road, thanks to work by crews for Danville’s Division of Power and Light.

“They’ve done a great job,” Eanes said.

All in all, Eanes and her 12-year-old son, Matthew, and 11-year-old son, Jacob, enjoyed playing in the snow. They stayed warm with a wood stove and stored water in bottles and in the bathtub in case of power outages.

Yet some local residents still don’t have electricity because of the weekend snow. Appalachian Power Virginia said on its Web site’s 4:30 p.m. update on Sunday that 500 customers in Pittsylvania County were without power.

That’s down from the 750 customers who lost power. Appalachian Power expects complete restoration for Pittsylvania County by 6 p.m. Tuesday, the update stated.

Additional crews have been brought into Virginia from other AEP companies and outside contractors. Assistance moved to the Southside area on Sunday, the update stated.

Danville’s Division of Power and Light officials said in a news release that major outages would be restored by Sunday. Scattered outages could last until the “first of the week.”

At the peak, 5,500 customers in the western and northwestern parts of the Division of Power and Light’s service area lost power. That decreased to 500 Sunday morning, according to the release.

Snow-related power outages in the Southside area brought in customers to Danville hotels and motels.

Comfort Inn & Suites in Danville saw a 37-percent increase in occupancy over its usual business, General Manager Christle Ricketts said. The hotel ran a discounted rate because of the snow and so did the adjoining restaurant, Back to Bogie’s.

“It was a misfortune for everyone who had to come stay with us, but we tried to accommodate them as much as we could,” Ricketts said.

Many customers also came from surrounding counties and Providence, N.C., she said. Ultimately the snow was good for the hotel business, but Ricketts especially thanks the Danville Public Works crews for clearing the roads.

“The city does an excellent job,” she said.

Several other Danville hotel or motel clerks said rooms were booked solid starting Saturday, but could not give interviews to the media.

Pittsylvania County’s emergency services coordinated the opening of two emergency shelters at Tunstall and Gretna middle schools, but residents did not stay overnight Saturday, said Jim Davis, director of emergency services.

The American Red Cross operated the shelters with help from volunteers and county staff, he added. Residents mainly came for bathing and hygiene purposes. The shelters closed Sunday night.

“We want people to continue to be safe,” Davis added.

Those without power need to be cautious in how they heat their homes or use alternative sources of light, Davis added.

The Virginia Department of Transportation officials said via news release that while road conditions have improved, residents still need to use caution on roads, as refreezing can occur overnight.

Major roads through the Lynchburg District were generally clear. Several secondary roads in Pittsylvania County were closed because of flooding and downed power outages as of 4 p.m. Sunday, according to VDOT’s Web site.

County roads with downed power lines include parts of Va. 1023, Va. 635, Va. 757 and Va. 829. Va. 694 from Fairview Road to Old Hickory Lane and Va. 713 from Dodson Road to Slatesville Road show flooding, according to the VDOT site.

For more specific information and maps on these areas, visit www.va511.org, click “Winter Road Conditions” and select Pittsylvania County in the drop-down menu.

Warm and clear weather on Sunday may have helped road conditions.

Danville saw a high of 40 degrees on Sunday and today residents can expect it to be a bit warmer in the low 40s, meteorologist Phil Hysell with the National Weather Service in Blacksburg said.

Yet, temperatures fell into the teens overnight, so watch for black ice on the road, he added. Monday and Tuesday lows will also get below freezing in the mid-20s.

On Tuesday, Danvillians can expect some type of precipitation — possibly a rain-snow mix changing over to rain, Hysell said. Temperatures on Tuesday will reach 40 degrees. Continue to monitor the forecast to learn about this weather system.

After Tuesday, the rest of the week looks dry, Hysell said.

Sunday’s relatively warm weather and cleared roadways encouraged residents to play outside.

Dasmond Gun, 21, with 16-year-olds Chris Lowe and Michael McCurdy, all of Danville, skateboarded the downtown streets and ollied over gaps and snow on Sunday afternoon. Usually, they skate every Sunday at the skate park in Dan Daniel Memorial Park, but it was snowed in.

“This is pretty much our life,” Michael said.

The snow didn’t stop Mike Iverson of Pittsylvania County and friends Marvin Price, James Evans and Ben Jackson, all of Danville, from playing 18 holes of disc golf in Ballou Park. A group comes out every Sunday after church by 1:30 p.m., including last weekend when a group played while the snow fell, Evans said.

“It’s a form of fellowship,” Evans said.

The winter has its advantages for disc golf. The men agree it’s easier to throw through the barren trees and Iverson said he could see well on the snow.

For more information on joining up with the Church of the Nazarene Youth Group for disc golf, call Evans at (434) 836-5188. The youth group also holds a Youth Day the second Saturday of every month.