Halifax County has sent a letter to Governor Josh Stein’s office requesting state assistance for the town of Enfield following a system-wide power outage last month.

The letter, signed by board of commissioners Chairman Vernon Bryant, is addressed to P.J. Connelly, director of the governor’s eastern office.

The intent of the letter, Bryant said during Monday’s board meeting, is to declare Enfield a disaster area in hopes of securing state funding and other resources, including federal dollars.

Bryant commended staff and commissioners for working hard in the aftermath of the power outage. “I want the public to know that this board has been proactive in that situation in Enfield.”

The letter says the board is writing to the governor’s office “to express our support for the town of Enfield with the recent townwide power outage and resulting challenges.”

“As you are aware, the town experienced a massive power outage that began on the afternoon of July 19,” the letter says. “With Dominion’s assistance, the town began restoring power to the grids in phases with all grids now back online. However, the most pressing concern is that the town of Enfield has learned that the cost to replace the equipment is substantial, much more than the town can sustain.”

Halifax County has supported Enfield through emergency services, emergency management and the sheriff’s office. 

Halifax County Schools in cooperation with the sheriff’s office opened Inborden Middle School as a community cooling and charging location with water and ice available. 

The county coordinated shelter operations with the Red Cross for Sunday night and located a shelter trailer at the facility. “Community organizations have provided meals for citizens. Social Services has fielded numerous calls and coordinated assistance to replace food for those citizens who already receive FNS benefits.” 

Despite significant efforts, the letter says, “A gap remains for those citizens who do not receive FNS benefits through Social Services. Those citizens, many of whom are elderly and/or on fixed incomes, lost all their refrigerated food. Some lost prescription medications that required refrigeration. Some in need of life-saving equipment requiring power had to relocate to hotels at their expense.” 

Says the letter: “As a result of the significant cost burden to the town to replace the equipment and the financial hardships of its citizens, Halifax County asks that the state of North Carolina declare the town of Enfield a disaster area and provide any assistance to the town of Enfield that is possible to mitigate the continued effects of this power outage on the town and its citizens.”