PERSONAL - Power Outages

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-We experienced a brief power surge/outage tonight in Fayetteville, North Carolina at approximately 10:30 PM. I was told by PWC that they had a problem with a relay, but all is fine now. I must admit, they do a very good job here. Excellent service IMHO.

-Also, my husband was in Norfolk Virginia today and he told me they experienced a power outage late afternoon which lasted approximately 30 minutes. I have not found the news report of this yet, but I will check again tomorrow.

If anyone knows more about the Norfolk outage, please let me know. I don't know if it was the entire region or just isolated to the Naval Base area.

Also, if anybody out there is having power outages in your area, this thread could serve well for that purpose.

Thank you all, Dee

-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), May 24, 2000

Answers

Chillecothe, OH experienced a 13 hour power outage a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, my father, who works for the power company over that area, has been unable to find out ANY information as to what caused the outage. It seems that the company has decided to cover up the issue, whatever the cause may be.

Pennsylvania had rolling blackouts around the same time due to an apparent computer glitch that caused a 3000 MEGAWATT miscalculation. This is a miscalculation larger than any coal power plant I know of - in other words, the power company was left short of enough power to light a very large city or a small state. Dad was able to find out as much as I said here at the plant he works at, but no one seems to know anything further about this issue either.

-- robert bright (roosterbos@go.com), May 25, 2000.


Norfolk loses power when crane knocks down lines

By CINDY CLAYTON The Virginian-Pilot

NORFOLK - About 20,000 downtown customers were left fanning themselves in the dark Thursday afternoon when a crane knocked power lines into the Elizabeth River near Harbor Park.

The crane was being barged down the river about 4 p.m. when it snagged five high-tension lines, knocking them into the water, officials said. The high voltage lines carry 115,000 volts to and from downtown and the surrounding areas, Virginia Power spokeswoman Pat Gayle said.

Power officials said that at the height of the outage, between 15,000 to 20,000 homes and businesses were without power in Norfolk. In Portsmouth, about 200 customers lost power, but the lights there were restored quickly. And about 500 customers in Chesapeake were left in the dark, officials said.

``Probably everybody in South Hampton Roads saw a blink of their lights,'' Virginia Power spokesman Charles Taylor told a television reporter. ``This is a very serious occurrence. . . this is a major part of our transmission system.''

At Norfolk City Hall, a diesel-powered generator the size of a minivan kicked in, keeping mainframe computer systems and emergency lights operating. But the generators, able to keep the city's essential functions running indefinitely, don't power the air- conditioning system, considered a luxury.

``It's getting a little stuffy in here,'' Bob Batcher, the city's public relations manager, said about 4:45 p.m. Thursday. City employees faced other inconveniences besides lack of air conditioning. They had no lights inside bathrooms, only one of the four elevators in the 11-story building was working, and some personal computers were out. But otherwise, it was business as usual, Batcher said.

It was a different story on Norfolk's west side, where restaurants and shops along 21st Street and Colley Avenue opened their doors for air circulation.

Traffic lights were out on Tidewater Drive, Granby Street and Colley Avenue and intersecting streets, causing confusion for motorists. Police officers scoped the hardest hit areas and sent officers to direct traffic at the busiest intersections.

Recreational boaters on the river could not travel down the southern branch after the Coast Guard closed it, a spokesman said. Coast Guard boats and Norfolk firefighters stood by as power crews formed a plan to fish the lines out of the water.

By 5:30, power was restored to many houses and the cool air began to flow. Taylor said that many customers were switched to other circuits so that a major portion of the outage could be reversed.

Staff writers Jon Glass and Jack Dorsey contributed to this report. Reach Cindy Clayton at 446-2540 or

http://www.pilotonline.com/news/nw0526wir.html

-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), May 26, 2000.


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