00:00Well, the Calvary has definitely arrived here in the Charlotte, North Carolina area over my shoulder. You can see about 27 states and Canada represented. About 18,000 crewmen and women are here trying to get ready for this Super Bowl of ice storms. Now they will not be able to get out and assess damage until after that storm pushes east. Know that. But the concern is down to just millimeters. If they get a quarter of an inch of ice, which is definitely
00:29on the table, that's going to be a big problem. But up to a half of an inch of ice, whole game changes. And they could be talking about multiple days, maybe even up to two weeks before they can actually restore power. But the crews here from all over the country, we talked to one from Iowa. And man, they are ready to get out there and get folks power back on. We have over 100 guys here and we're here to assist Duke in the restoration of the storm that is anticipated. I mean, we're in it all
00:59all the time. The weather, whether it's hot, whether it's cold, we're out here. We're here till the power's back on. So as long as it takes, then we'll still be here. Now Duke Energy is spearheading this effort. They have about three and a half million customers just in the state of North Carolina. They will decide when it's safe for these crews to get back out and try and assess the damage with the power lines. And if they can actually travel on the roads because more than a half of an inch of ice, no
01:29no one will be traveling. And that is the concern. Now the North Carolina DOT has prepped the roads. They too are on 12 hour shifts around the clock until this threat passes. And of course, they'll be doing their best to clear the road so these crews can get out and try and restore the power as soon as possible. Reporting from Carol Wood, I'm Leslie Hudson for AccuWeather.
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