'It's been stressful.' Businesses struggle amid power outage in Moore County from targeted attack
Nearly halfway into the week, many businesses in Moore County are still without power.
Some are closed. Others are choosing to remain open and accept cash only.
A select few have access to a generator in an effort to bring in some kind of income.
"I couldn't sleep that night," said Brandon Julian of Casa Vivi Taqueria and Carniceria.
He bought thousands of dollars worth of perishable food and other merchandise on Friday less than 24 hours before the power went out.
"It's been stressful," he added. The past few days, prior to the power outage attack, Julian's business was full of people watching the World Cup and enjoying a meal.
Sunday morning he drove to Fayetteville and spent $3,000 on a generator to keep his business open and operating as efficiently as possible.
"Because bills don't wait. Bills are still coming in," joked Julian. "It ain't just for me. Our employees -- they were worried they weren't going to have a job this week so we had to do something ya know?"
Neighboring businesses to Julian's were also closed or barely functional. A nearby tobacco and vape shop was vandalized.
"It's affecting all of our businesses. All of our local businesses. These big chains ain't too much. But us local businesses, it's hurting us big. It's hurting us a lot," said Julian.
Less than a mile away, Papa John's general manager Zavion Thompson gave away hundreds of pizza, free of charge, to hungry families in need.
"Adversity builds strong people. When tough times come it creates tough people and we're able to work through it," said Thompson. "Selfless service is one of our values and I live that every single day. It's not about me, it's about us."
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