South Gets White Christmas, But Loses Power

Boston Globe, December 26, 1998

Associated Press Southerners enjoyed an unusual gift for Christmas Day - snow. But it came with a price, as hundreds of thousands were without electricity.

The freezing rain, sleet, and snow that crippled the region Christmas Eve left thousands of utility workers spending their holiday trying to restore power lines.

About 197,000 homes and businesses in Virginia were without electricity last night. About 54,000 Tennessee homes and businesses were without power, though some new reports of blackouts were reported. About 36,000 customers in Louisiana were still without electricity; 30,000 in Mississippi; 9,000 in Alabama, and 1,280 in Arkansas.

Much of the service was expected to be restored by nightfall, but it could take days to reconnect power to everyone. While freezing rain was not in the forecast, the South - and most of the nation - is expected to continue under a cold snap already blamed for at least 30 deaths.

Shelters opened across the South. About 200 people slept the night before Christmas in one Raleigh shelter.

People tried to make the most of the sudden entrance of winter despite the hardship. "It's neat. It's about time North Carolina had snow for Christmas and ice and - Santa Claus weather," said Carrie Mosteller, 50, of Greensboro, N.C.

In the South, sunny skies had melted many roads by the afternoon, but some remained closed and icy patches littered the highways. Slick roads were blamed for many deaths in recent days, including six in Alabama, six in Virginia, and two in South Carolina.

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