The full extent of damage from last week’s snowstorm will not be known until Moore County’s damage assessment team can get out in the field.

Nancy Roy, director of the Moore County Planning Department, said Friday that it is too early to estimate losses or the types of damage caused by the record-breaking storm.

The primary damage known by late last week centered on power outages and trees and branches falling on buildings.

"Our main concern is at buildings where electrical service connections were literally torn off by the storm," Roy said.

The storm caused the problem, then compounded the recovery effort by hampering access for power company crews, electricians and electrical inspectors.

Roy said that in a case where electrical connections, such as power poles, are torn away or felled, a licensed electrician must correct the problem — but power cannot be reconnected until a County inspector checks it out and gives approval.

This is time-consuming, because everyone was having difficulty with transportation and, in some cases, with communication.

Planning Department vehicles are not equipped with four-wheel drive, and the staff was dependent on other agencies and volunteers to provide transportation.

Roy said she was hoping two of her department’s five inspectors would be able to work Friday and was sure work would continue through the weekend.

Serving on the damage assessment team with Roy is Eddie Parris, County tax administrator, whose department has expertise in real estate evaluations.

Assessment may be handled in a different fashion this time, she reported. It is possible that the assessment will be handled from the air, with the National Guard providing transport.

"Are we having a tough time? Yes, we are," Roy said.

But as for the assessment team, she added, "We certainly are ready."

The results of the team’s survey will be forwarded to the state for further study in preparation for a federal disaster assistance bid.