If you lived in the North Carolina Piedmont, which includes Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte, 22 years ago, you were most likely sitting in the dark.
An ice storm that occurred from December 4-5, 2002, devastated most of the region, with up to an inch of ice accumulation.
An inch of ice may not seem like much, but keep in mind that ice does not build as much as snow. With as little as a quarter-inch of ice, trees and electrical lines frequently fall.
The State Climate Office described the December 2002 ice storm as “an ice storm for the ages.”
More over half of Duke Energy’s customers in North and South Carolina lost power. Both states saw higher disruptions than after Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
It took up to ten days for technicians to restore power throughout the central Carolinas.
According to the State Climate Office, a 9-year-old kid died in a fire caused by a space heater following the storm. Another 200 people were hospitalised as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by insufficient ventilation of alternative heat sources such as kerosene and gas-powered heaters.
The North Carolina Insurance News Service assessed property damage from the ice storm at $113 million.