While the mild weather forecast for Saturday is a far cry from the tropical storm conditions received in Charlotte County Thursday evening, the remnants from Michael continues to have an impact on thousands of residents who are still without power or are facing housing and road damage due to high winds, flooding  or fallen trees.

Outage maps from Dominion Energy, Southside Electric Cooperative and Central Virginia Electric Cooperative collectively show outage areas in the hundreds in Charlotte. View the most up to date status on the outages by clicking on the outage maps linked to the company’s name.

While crew from each county and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) are working to clear roadways, flooding, washouts and downed trees continue to block secondary and main roads throughout the region. View the status of roadways in your county by viewing VDOT’s traffic information table here.

Garland Hyde Hamlett Jr., director of emergency services for the county, announced that all of the county’s fire stations, except for Drakes Branch, will provide drinking water beginning Sunday. The stations will also have opportunities for residents to charge their electronic devices.

The departments’ hours of operation, according to Hamlett, will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“Drakes Branch fire station is inoperable at this time due to the storm,” the announcement cited.

Hamlett further urged residents to make sure all appliances are turned off when the power come back on, to keep a flashlight nearby, to keep the generator outside away from windows, to obey road postings and to not attempt to drive through or across flowing water. Instead, to turn around. He also instructed residents to stay clear of downed trees and power lines. Hamlett can be reached at (434) 315- 3227.

The Trucker’s Parade Against Cancer is set to begin on schedule Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Randolph-Henry High School.

As electricity continues to be out for long periods of time, neighboring Prince Edward County released information from the Virginia Department of Health encouraging residents to be mindful of what is in the refrigerator and to prevent the heightened risk of food poisoning when refrigerators and ovens are inoperable.

“Discard any food that has been at room temperature for two hours or more, and any food that has an
unusual odor, color or texture,” the documentation cited. “Just remember, ‘When in doubt, throw it out!'”

Here are basic tips for keeping food safe:
 Always keep a thermometer in your refrigerator. The temperature should read 41 F or below.
 Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold
temperature.
 The refrigerator will keep food cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened.
 A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half
full) if the door remains closed.
 Buy dry or block ice to keep the refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to
be out for a prolonged period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic
foot fully-stocked freezer cold for two days.

 If you plan to eat refrigerated or frozen meat, poultry, fish or eggs while it is still at safe
temperatures, it’s important that each item is thoroughly cooked to the proper temperature to
assure that any foodborne bacteria that may be present is destroyed. However, if at any point the
food was above 40 °F for 2 hours or more — discard it.
 Wash fruits and vegetables with water from a safe source before eating.
 For infants, try to use prepared, canned baby formula that requires no added water. When using
concentrated or powdered formulas, prepare with bottled water if the local water source is
potentially contaminated.