Waiting for power in Raleigh after Michael leaves thousands in the dark

Joel Brown Image
Saturday, October 13, 2018
North Raleigh neighbors cope by candlelight
Much of north Raleigh's Quail Hollow neighborhood was still in the dark Friday night from Tropical Storm Michael.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Much of north Raleigh's Quail Hollow neighborhood was still in the dark Friday night, a day and a half after Tropical Storm Michael passed through the city.

RELATED: Full coverage of Hurricane Michael

Like in many neighborhoods across Wake County, a massive tree toppled over in the over-saturated soil and took out the power lines below on Quail Hollow Drive.

The downed de-energized lines are now the neighborhood spectacle. Homeowners are wondering and wagering when they will get their lights back on.

"We think maybe Monday night," said Al Guerrero.

As of Friday night, Duke Energy reports 21,388 Wake County customers remained without power after Michael. The outages in Quail Hollow make up about 350 of those outages. And where the neighborhood ranks in Duke's priority list is anyone's guess.

But after a day and a half with no power after Michael, Bill Axberg and his 15-year old son Eddie are taking it in stride.

Axberg counts the neighborhood as lucky, "These tree things happen and the guys on the coast have it a lot worse than I do. So this doesn't even bother me really," he said.

And after charging his cherished smartphone at a friend's home, Eddie is ready to "tough" it out.

"But it stinks not being able to watch TV or anything," Eddie said. "But, at least I'm out of school."