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Southern Pines mail carrier Sheila Harris grabs coffee from Swank Coffee Shop early Monday morning. The shop was pouring free drip Without power. Harris said it was the first time in 19 years she has come in without an ironed uniform — she put a jacket on to cover up the wrinkles.
Community members handed out free food at the Crypress Pointe Fire Station in Vass.
Lee County Commissioner Arianna Lavallee cooks up pizza and hotdogs outside the Cypress Pointe Fire Department.
Marissa Silva and Amanda Brown replenish snacks at the Southern Pines Public Library,
Southern Pines mail carrier Sheila Harris grabs coffee from Swank Coffee Shop early Monday morning. The shop was pouring free drip Without power. Harris said it was the first time in 19 years she has come in without an ironed uniform — she put a jacket on to cover up the wrinkles.
Community members handed out free food at the Crypress Pointe Fire Station in Vass.
Lee County Commissioner Arianna Lavallee cooks up pizza and hotdogs outside the Cypress Pointe Fire Department.
Marissa Silva and Amanda Brown replenish snacks at the Southern Pines Public Library,
With 34,000 homes and businesses still without power on Monday, refuges of heat, food, and functional electric outlets sprung up around Moore County.
A melting pot of county residents ventured from their cold, dark homes as business owners and local organizations departed from their regular order of business to fulfill their neighbors’ needs.
The Southern Pines Growler Company — usually a popular evening watering hole — started Sunday and Monday mornings early with coffee, hot chocolate and fresh pancakes free of charge.
For Brittani Monroe, the hot food was a welcome change after getting through Sunday on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cereal. She and her sister put their milk in their deep freezer in the hope of preserving it.
Natasha Duchannes and her family took advantage of the warm, electrified space at the Growler Co. Monday morning after grabbing coffee and breakfast at Pony Espresso.
Duchannes works for a defense contractor, plugged in her wifi hotspot for a video conference.
“We’ve been coming here, and relying heavily on our friends at Red’s Corner," she said. "They’ve been great about letting us use power."
Duchannes said that they had reserved a hotel room in Sanford, though didn't plan to use it overnight.
"It's not necessarily to sleep in but go up there, take showers, let the kids decompress a little bit," she said.
Kassidy Payne was among many Moore County residents planning to head out of town after two cold nights: to stay in hotels or with family members until power is restored.
“My cat’s been snuggling with me. We keep each other warm. He’s a big chunky boy," she said. "My boyfriend’s letting me stay with him tonight until all this goes away. His mom lives outside of where it’s affected.”
Elsewhere in Southern Pines, Swank Coffee Shoppe served free drip coffee in the dark; trucks served free food to first responders at Red’s Corner and a handful of businesses opened to do what they could do with the resources they could gather.
The Southern Pines Public Library was open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday for warmth, snacks, water, charging and books, and will be open the same hours on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
“We’re happy to see people actually coming in and using what we have,” said librarian Amanda Brown.
“We just want to provide a safe, warm place for people,” said librarian Laurel Holden.
With classes canceled at Sandhills Community College student Bryn Hutchins tucked away into a quiet library corner to finish homework. Though the internet wasn't up and running, she had power for her computer — which is generally easier to use unencumbered by layers of blankets.
“It’s almost finals week, so we can’t just not do the homework this week," she said.
Fire departments in Pinebluff and Pinehurst were serving as charging stations, and Pinebluff’s fire department was distributing bottled water.
At lunchtime Monday, Life Springs Dream Center had come from Sanford to set up at Cypress Pointe Fire and Rescue in Vass, providing food, hot chocolate, hot showers, charging stations and handing out extra warm clothes and blankets.
“We decided yesterday that we needed to do something when we heard it might be delayed to get power back. We understood that food was a problem, showering was a problem, we’re trying to get ice for people," said church member Melissa Sauls of Carthage.
"A lot of people are desperate, they’re cold and they're hungry, they don't have the resources to go get extra food and the food they have is perishing away."
The church served hot chocolate and grilled hot dogs and meat donated by Piggly Wiggly.
“We’ve been eating cold food," Linda Seitz said over a cup of cocoa. "This is the first warm thing I’ve had since Saturday night and I’m relishing it.”
Seitz and her husband Lenny spend most of the year in Vass to be near their daughter and grandchildren, but are originally from Connecticut. So they're used to being without power in a harsher winter than North Carolina is currently experiencing.
"I’m used to acts of God up there in the form of Nor’easters that take out power and take out everything for days at a time," she said. "But this was wilful and predetermined."
Debbie Williams, who lives on South Street in Vass, said that she's been making do with "lots of clothes and blankets" and keeping the milk on the back porch out of the sunlight.
“My freezer even has quilts over it to try to keep the food from totally thawing out, but it’s not working real well. There’s water on the floor."
She compared the experience to a camping trip, not only the hardship but the sense of being removed from everyday life.
“I’m a television and news junkie. That’s a little difficult right now with no power," she said. "I usually have all the news channels on all day long keeping up with everything. Now I feel so isolated.
The question I have is why? Why little old Moore County?"
The Seitzes have used their gas fireplace to keep their home above 50 degrees, but they still wore multiple layers and their greyhound needs a coat indoors as well. Their daughter went to stay in Raleigh with her children and bearded dragon, but they planned to ride out the situation until later in the week.
“It’s nice to see the community come together. It’s unfortunate that it was due to an unnecessary act," said Lenny Seitz. "We're trying to keep it in perspective. People in Ukraine have to deal with worse than this every day.”
Others took the disruption in stride.
While charging his phone at the Southern Pines Public Library, David Rubin said he was on his way home to put gas in his generator and connect it to the refrigerator. His wife, daughter, and grandchildren had spent Sunday night at a hotel in Apex after the family spent the day with neighbors in Durham.
“I have a generator. I have not used it for 15 years. I’m getting my phone charged here, and I’m going to go back," he said. “It’s not that cold. I’m a little layered and that’s it really. It’s life’s inconveniences, you have to kind of roll with it.”
John Bortins stopped into the Growler Co. on Monday morning, but anticipated having construction work to do later in areas served by Pee Dee Electric.
“It's pretty much just a lot of blankets at night and going to Harris Teeter a couple of times to break up the monotony of sitting at the house in the dark, but overall it’s not a big deal," he said. "We’re not suffering that much to be honest. I feel for people with little kids, and elderly people."
Here’s a running list of where to find resources:
The Moore County emergency shelter is open and located at the Sportsplex, 155 Hillcrest Park Lane in Carthage. If individuals need transportation there, call (910) 947-6317.
Multiple fire and police stations across the county are open for residents to charge devices, use public wifi and get out of the cold.
Pinehurst Fire Station 91, at 405 Magnolia Road, is open from Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with charging stations.
The Haney Community Room in Southern Pines Police Department is open to the public, 24/7, providing a warm space with power and public wifi.
Pinebluff Fire Rescue has bottled water and charging stations available at 580 South Walnut Street.
The Southern Pines Public Library is open until 4 p.m. today. They have power but no internet. Snacks, drinks and board games are available.
Red’s Corner, on the corner of Morganton Road and Old U.S. 1, continues to feed people and host multiple food trucks.
Southern Pines Rugby group is in partnership with Rufy Max Creations and Reaves Nursery Farm to give out free hot dogs, chips and a drink. It starts at 3:30 p.m. at 420 Sand Pit Road, Aberdeen.
The Whispering Pines Food Lion is open until 8 p.m. today. They have coffee and charging stations available, according to an employee.
The House of Odell and Luella food truck will be at Cox Auto in Carthage on Hwy 15-501 from noon to 4 p.m. today. They’ve advertised coffee and macaroni and cheese.
The Pine Scone Cafe is open in Pinehurst, 905 Linden Road, with wifi and hot food.
Karefree Produce market will be open until 3 p.m. today, located at 4680 U.S. 15 in Carthage. They have food, drinks and ice.
Lowes Foods in Southern Pines is now open and running on a backup generator.
Vass Hardware and Mercantile, at 138 Seaboard Street is open but has no power, so it's cash only.
Southern Pines Growler is open again and serving hot food and drinks.
The ATM at First Bank in Seven Lakes, located at 4295 N.C. 211, is working, though the building remains closed.
Pollywogs Play Pad is open until 3 p.m. today. Drop-off kid care is $10, and they will be open on Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is found.
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