Gov. Cooper visits Southern Pines businesses financially recouping after days-long power outages

Cooper and his wife Kristin visited several shops, including the Country Bookshop at 140 Northwest Broad St. in Southern Pines.

“Kristin and I wanted to come show our support for small business here, and to celebrate, really the Christmas spirit with the people here in Moore County,” Cooper said.

More than 45,000 homes and businesses in Moore County were without power from Dec. 3 – Dec. 7 after someone attacked two county substations. Authorities are still trying to find the person or people responsible for the Dec. 3 attacks.

"We know that people here have taken it on the chin after the substation shooting, and having lost power for four nights," Cooper said. "I'll tell you, the spirit of the people of Moore County shines through."

Little Teapot Child Care Center worker Roberta McRae missed work earlier this month due to the outages, and it cost her $900 to $1,000, she said.

“That's loss of income,” she said. “It's work that I had missed."

"It's really hard right now when people are right here at the holidays and have lost something that they thought that they would have,” Cooper said. “We're working with nonprofits to try to help people who are in that type of situation."

The nonpartisan nonprofit New Rural Project is one of them. The organization raised $8,000 to hand out $50 grocery cards last week to 185 Taylortown residents.

"It's very difficult,” New Rural Project co-founder Helen Probst Mills said. “It's my understanding that the average Moore County resident lost about $600 in wages – [about] $600 right before Christmas. They also lost everything in their fridge and their freezer. "

Moore Miracles campaign encourages consumers to buy local, help businesses recoup after days-long power outages

The CVB is also planning a holiday-themed Street Corner Karaoke to give away $25 gift cards to Moore County businesses from noon to 2 p.m. on: