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Arctic blast

Residents hunker down, try to stay warm

Robert C. Reed

Johnny Petty, of Hickory, sorts through blankets at the Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry on Friday.

From staff and wire reports

Hickory Daily Record

Published: January 16, 2009

HICKORY - Temperatures are expected to plummet into the single digits in the Hickory area this weekend and local residents are taking precautions and doing their best to stay warm.

Bethlehem Hardware Manager Tim Trull said, "We've been selling a lot of heaters," and added that he's nearly out of insulation for exterior pipes. "We've seen a good increase on that in the last two days."

Snow isn't expected and Trull said few sleds had been sold recently.

Replacement and repair items for burst pipes are selling well, however, and it isn't just homeowners who are dealing with broken pipes.

Hickory Public Services Director Chuck Hansen said Friday afternoon that his department has had to replace a few frozen water meters but, "So far, the day's gone pretty well."

Hansen said his department has taken all the advance action they can to get ready for the cold. "We're ready right now, but we're keeping an eye on the weather just like everybody else," he said.

Hickory Street Superintendent Doug Dupel is ready to apply salt to any icy patches that develop. "We've got the sprayers mounted in the trucks and ready to go," he said.

The Hickory Police Department will notify Dupel if they spot any icy areas on the roads and his crew is ready to respond at a moment's notice. "We're always on call," he said.

The staff at the Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry spent Thursday and Friday handing out blankets and winter coats to area homeless people to help them endure the cold temperatures predicted for this weekend.

"I'm really concerned about our homeless contingent and their ability to cope with the extreme temperatures," said Kim Gilliland, CCM's director of development and public relations. "We have found that the clients who truly need blankets and coats are truly appreciative. While our supply is not limitless, we feel our efforts and of those who donated the goods will save lives."

Forecasters said the arctic air that caused temperatures to plunge across North Carolina will remain over the state through today. Temperatures are expected to reach the high 30s in western North Carolina, the 40s in central parts of the state and around 50 degrees on the coast by Sunday.

The National Weather Service said the morning low Friday in Asheville was 5 degrees, but the record there was minus 1, set in 1994. The low in Charlotte was 12 degrees, while the record for the same date is 5 degrees, set in 1893.

Elsewhere in the state, Raleigh-Durham International Airport had a reading of 15 degrees, well short of the record 3 degrees set in 1994, said meteorologist Jason Beaman.

On the coast, forecasters said the low was 15 degrees, short of the record of 10. Meteorologist Rick Neuherz said the high in the coastal city of Wilmington was expected to be about 35.