STOKESDALE, N.C. — UPDATE: BI-RITE GROCERY HAS SINCED RESTORED POWER
Thousands of people were left in the dark after Ian's aftermath, even a grocery store that hasn't seen a power outage in decades.
Bi-Rite in Stokesdale and has been without full power since Friday night.
This is the first time the grocery store has closed due to a power outage after being in business for more than 60 years.
Currently, the store is running off of one-third of their usual electricity. Their distributor has loaned them a trailer to prevent their cold and frozen products from going bad.
They will be spending the next few days going through the store and disposing of food that has risen above a safe temperature. Then, they'll have to re-order a lot of product to get the shelves restocked.
The store will be closed for the rest of Saturday and possibly Sunday, depending on the power situation. One of the managers said they normally have hot food to feed the community during these types of weather events, but they’re unable to provide that without power.
