Tag Archive: Power Outage


Article Written by Lee Flynn

Former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once said, “I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best” (Quotery.com). Some people falsely believe that being prepared is the sort of thing that is only reserved for fear mongerers and doomsday enthusiasts. However, being prepared does not mean that you want the worst to happen. On the contrary, it means that, although you hope for the best, you are simply ready for anything that might come your way. In the same way that you get insurance in case your health declines, it is important to take out your own “insurance policy” for every area in your life. This might include food storage, home repairs, budgeting, or any number of tasks.

Large-Scale Disasters

The most common motivator for people when it comes to preparedness is the type of disaster that gains international attention. Hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and all manner of natural disasters have a habit of igniting the prepping spark in many people. Such occurrences are often unpredictable and can leave hundreds of people without homes or even, sadly, their loved ones. However, even those on the outskirts of a disaster can suffer dire consequences. At the very least, they may be trapped in their homes for days on end, perhaps without power or water. This is where your emergency food and water comes in handy.

Smaller Catastrophes

However, although these are the ones which gain the most attention, natural disasters are not the only, and certainly not the most common, reason for needing to keep certain emergency items in your home. You might not have considered it before, but a sudden job loss could come from nowhere and make it extremely difficult to feed yourself and your family.

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Earth Watch Report  –  Power  Outage

18.03.2013 Power Outage Solomon Islands Temotu Province, [Province-wide] Damage level
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Power Outage in Solomon Islands on Monday, 18 March, 2013 at 11:14 (11:14 AM) UTC.

Description
People are still living under temporary shelter without access to water or toilets in the capital of Solomon Islands’ Temotu province almost six weeks after the region was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami. The premier, Father Charles Brown Beu, says more than 100 people who lost their homes are under tents or tarpaulins next to the Lata soccer field, many of them from other islands in the province. He says he needs to know what the plan is for those people. “Where would people go and so on. The sea is too far from here. One of my major concerns now is there are no toilets in those camps. And stronger ones still go down to the seaside which is about almost, almost 20, 30 minutes’ walk from the huts, temporary shelter, to the sea.” Father Charles Brown Beu says one option is for people to move back to their seaside land but they need reassurance from a geological expert that they will be safe.

SIEA explains power outages

Tuesday, 20 September 2011 09:31

SOLOMON Islands Electricity Authority (SIEA) yesterday explained the power outages experienced on Sunday and yesterday.
In a statement SIEA said it regrets the load shedding that has occurred over the last two days.

“This was a result of unexpected power outages caused by one of the generators.

“This came as a result of a problem with the Automatic Voltage Unit (AVU) that controls the supply of power coming from the generators onto the grid.”

SIEA said the AVU on one of the main generators, Watsila Gen set L7 has been experiencing outages over the last two days and as a result it had to be shut down a number of times.

Yesterday workers chose to shut down the L7 to allow electricians to work on a temporary fix to the issue.

“Replacement parts for the AVU are now on order.

“The issue with the AVU was that it normally controls to regulate load, but it was not responding and supply was inconsistent.

“Therefore a decision  to avoid any further complications was put in place, which was to shut down the system entirely for the period of time needed to fix this.

“Workers are now waiting to see whether they have successfully remedied the problem for the short term,” the statement said.

Power was believed to have returned yesterday afternoon barring further unexpected complications.

“Apologies are sincerely extended to the public and the industries affected by the power outages,” the company said.

Earth Watch Report  –  Power Outage

Blustery winds gust through S.A., knock out power for thousands

Today Power Outage USA State of Texas, [San Antonio and the Hill Country] Damage level
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Power Outage in USA on Monday, 11 March, 2013 at 05:43 (05:43 AM) UTC.

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An early morning squall with hail and high winds swept across parts of San Antonio and the Hill Country, knocking out power Sunday for about 6,500 CPS Energy customers. Many of the outages occurred in the northern portions of the utility’s service area and lasted from about 1 a.m. to noon Sunday, when crews restored power, said CPS spokesman John Moreno. The National Weather Service received reports of quarter-sized hail at the San Antonio International Airport, where about three quarters of an inch of rain fell. Golf-ball sized hail was reported in Kerr County, said Pat McDonald, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Blustery winds gust through S.A., knock out power for thousandsCredit: KENS 5 viewer Javier Cortinas

A worker wrangles a portion of roof that blew off Stephen F. Austin Elementary School near downtown San Antonio on Tuesday, March. 5, 2013.

by Kens5.com Staff

Posted on March 5, 2013 at 7:45 AM

Updated Tuesday, Mar 5 at 10:01 PM

 

Thousands of San Antonians woke up Tuesday morning without power as high winds sweep through South Texas.

CPS Energy’s online map showed about a dozen outages affecting thousands of customers in the downtown area and on the city’s south side early Tuesday.

A wind advisory and Red Flag warning had been issued for nearly all south Texas counties.

KENS 5 meteorologist Paul Mireles said the San Antonio International Airport recorded gusts up to 40 mph early Tuesday morning. The wind should calm down by the afternoon, he said.

Earth Watch Report  –  Power  Outage

08.03.2013 Power Outage USA State of California, Bakersfield Damage level
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Power Outage in USA on Friday, 08 March, 2013 at 03:58 (03:58 AM) UTC.

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A major power outage in Bakersfield temporarily left tens of thousands of customers without electricity Thursday. A PG&E spokesperson said more than 24,000 customers in downtown, central and east Bakersfield lost power about 3:30 Thursday afternoon, including San Joaquin Community Hospital. PG&E workers were running a routine maintenance test at one of their local facilities when they experienced equipment failure. The failure caused 47 separate outages. The outage made for a rough start to the early evening commute. The traffic lights were out at 23rd and L Streets and traffic was backed up through the downtown area. The generator kicked on at San Joaquin Hospital. The power was quickly restored and the outage didn’t affect any services. “Obviously with patients in the hospital, staff members, there’s a lot of people on campus here at any given time in stressful situations, whether it be a surgery or patients on deliberations. We have generators that will kick on instantly when the power goes off,” said Jimmy Phillips, San Joaquin Community Hospital. Kern Medical Center, Memorial Hospital and Mercy Hospital reported the outage did not affect those facilities. A PG&E spokesperson said the power was back on for all 24,000 customers just after 4:00 Thursday afternoon.

Major power outage in Bakersfield leaves thousands in the dark

A major power outage in Bakersfield temporarily left tens of thousands of customers without electricity Thursday.

A PG&E spokesperson said more than 24,000 customers in downtown, central and east Bakersfield lost power about 3:30 Thursday afternoon, including San Joaquin Community Hospital.

PG&E workers were running a routine maintenance test at one of their local facilities when they experienced equipment failure. The failure caused 47 separate outages.

The outage made for a rough start to the early evening commute. The traffic lights were out at 23rd and L Streets and traffic was backed up through the downtown area.

The generator kicked on at San Joaquin Hospital. The power was quickly restored and the outage didn’t affect any services.

“Obviously with patients in the hospital, staff members, there’s a lot of people on campus here at any given time in stressful situations, whether it be a surgery or patients on deliberations. We have generators that will kick on instantly when the power goes off,” said Jimmy Phillips, San Joaquin Community Hospital.

Kern Medical Center, Memorial Hospital and Mercy Hospital reported the outage did not affect those facilities.

A PG&E spokesperson said the power was back on for all 24,000 customers just after 4:00 Thursday afternoon.

 

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Earth Watch Report  –  Power  Outage

  • North Providence Street

2 11.02.2013 Power Outage USA State of Rhode Island, [R.I.-wide] Damage level
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Power Outage in USA on Saturday, 09 February, 2013 at 05:30 (05:30 AM) UTC.

Description
National Grid says more than 170,000 customers have lost power in Rhode Island, and they’re advising residents to be prepared for power outages that could last for days because of the blizzard hitting the region. The utility reports most of the outages Friday night were in Washington County. Conditions aren’t expected to improve until after early Saturday, and the utility has brought in hundreds of extra crews to respond to downed lines and restore power. The utility is reminding people to stay clear of downed trees and power lines.

Power Outage in USA on Saturday, 09 February, 2013 at 05:30 (05:30 AM) UTC.

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Updated: Monday, 11 February, 2013 at 11:54 UTC
Description
National Grid officials say about 20,000 homes and businesses remain without power in parts of Rhode Island that saw the heaviest damage from the blizzard on Friday and Saturday. The utility company had expected to repair most remaining outages by Sunday night. About 187,000 customers were without power during the height of the storm. Nearly 15,800 of the remaining outages Monday morning are in the southern part of the state. Gov. Lincoln Chafee and other state officials have asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to perform a preliminary disaster assessment in all five counties to help the state calculate damages and potentially apply for federal aid. Many schools are closed Monday. Public transit service was scheduled to resume Monday morning.

Crews continue work to restore power in RI

Quonset 3

Credit: NBC 10

The blizzard brought a winter wonderland scene to North Kingstown.


User Photo: Dennis Hlynsky

Snow was falling around the Northeast on Friday, ushering in what’s predicted to be a massive, possibly historic blizzard.

Blizzard Hits East Coast

Images from various locations in the Northeast, which was hit by a blizzard Friday, Feb. 8, 2013.

User Photo: Huge Snowpile

National Grid says more than 170,000 customers have lost power in Rhode Island, and they’re advising residents to be…

 

By: ERIKA NIEDOWSKI | The Associated Press
Published: February 11, 2013

PROVIDENCE —

Utility crews were working Monday to restore electricity to the parts of Rhode Island that saw some of the heaviest damage from the weekend storm, as residents tried to return to their routines – albeit a lot more slowly than usual – and snow removal efforts continued.

David Graves, a spokesman for National Grid, said the utility is confident all power will be restored by Monday night. Most of the remaining 17,700 customer outages were in the southern part of the state, with South Kingstown and Charlestown experiencing the highest number, according to National Grid’s website.

“There’s still a lot of snow out there that we have to move out of the way,” Graves said.

In some places, including Lincoln, drivers trying to navigating slick roadways during the morning commute hit utility poles, causing new outages. About 187,000 customers were without power during the height of the storm.

Bryan Lucier, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said the interstates and state highways were clear, but crews were working to widen travel lanes where snow was still in the way, including on some on- and off-ramps. The message of the day for those out traveling: Take it slow and be patient.

“A little courtesy will go a long way on the roads right now,” Lucier said.

 

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Earth Watch Report  –  Power  Outage

 

31.01.2013 Power Outage USA State of Georgia, [Georgia-wide] Damage level
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Power Outage in USA on Thursday, 31 January, 2013 at 14:29 (02:29 PM) UTC.

Description
Thousands of customers are waking up without power Thursday as power crews scramble to restore service to as many areas as possible. At the last update, at 3:45 a.m., Georgia Power reported 9,600 customers were in the dark, which included 5,600 in metro Atlanta and 2,500 in northwest Georgia. During the peak of the outage, 20,000 Georgia Power customers were without power. In addition, the Georgia Electric Membership Corporation said their EMCs reported 16,539 outages around 10 p.m. Wednesday. That number has now been reduced to less than 5,000 in extreme north Georgia.

Earth Watch Report  –  Power  Outage

 

31.01.2013 Power Outage USA State of Connecticut, [Connecticut-wide] Damage level
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Power Outage in USA on Thursday, 31 January, 2013 at 12:54 (12:54 PM) UTC.

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Utility companies in Connecticut are reporting about 74,000 power outages as a storm with strong winds and heavy rain moves through to Connecticut state. The National Weather Service issued high wind warnings statewide until Thursday morning. Forecasters say gusts could hit 65 mph and minor flooding is possible. Connecticut Light & Power Co. reports about 67,700 outages. About 4,500 homes and businesses in Clinton are in the dark, about 64 percent of customers. More than half the utility company’s customers in Montville, about 4,300, are without power. The United Illuminating Co. has about 6,380 outages in the Bridgeport and New Haven areas. Metro-North Railroad reports 30 minute delays on the New Haven Line because of the weather. New Canaan branch rail service has been replaced with bus service.

Earth Watch Report  –  Power Outage

09.01.2013 Power Outage USA State of Maryland, [Montgomery County] Damage level
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Power Outage in USA on Wednesday, 09 January, 2013 at 03:37 (03:37 AM) UTC.

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Power has been restored to more than 15,000 residents left in the dark in the Montgomery County Tuesday night. A problem at a Montgomery County sub-station tripped a transmission line causing the outage that initially left more than 17,000 customers in the dark, said David Kline, manager of external affairs for Potomac Edison. Customers in Germantown, Boyds and Clarksburg reported outages. Numerous traffic signals in the Germantown area were without power, along with homes and shopping centers for hours. Power was restored to most of those residents by around 8 p.m.

 

Earth Watch Report – Power Outage

 

Photo by: Erin McCracken

Scott Becker shovels the sidewalks of businesses along Main Street in downtown Evansville, Ind., on Dec. 27, 2012. (Associated Press/The Evansville Courier & Press)

28.12.2012 Power Outage USA State of Arkansas, [Arkansas-wide] Damage level
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Power Outage in USA on Friday, 28 December, 2012 at 14:29 (02:29 PM) UTC.

Description
As a the muted ends of a powerful winter storm that has killed more than a dozen people plodded through the Northeast, many in Arkansas were seeking warmth and shelter against the cold prospect of life without electricity into the new year. A Christmas Day blizzard dumped more than 15 inches of snow on the state, causing widespread damage to power lines and cutting electricity to more than 200,000 customers. With the bleak word from the state’s largest utility that the lights could be out until after the start of the new year, many residents who awoke snowbound on Wednesday were jamming the city’s hotel rooms by Thursday night. After the storm’s peak early Wednesday, homes and businesses from border-to-border had lost power. Johnson, and several other people, said they were hoping the power would be back on Wednesday after spending Christmas night in the dark. Then the president of the state’s largest utility announced that some of the outages would persist to New Year’s Day or beyond. Little Rock was among the cities hardest hit. The storm system responsible for the misery roared out of the Rockies early Tuesday with blizzard conditions in southwestern Oklahoma and tornadoes along the Gulf Coast. After sweeping across Arkansas, giving Little Rock its first white Christmas since 1926, it rolled into the Midwest and Northeast before moving on to Canada. Up to 20 inches of snow fell in the Adirondacks of New York, and 7.5 inches fell in Indianapolis, which was its greatest snowfall in four years. Concord, N.H., got 4-6 inches of snow.

 

 Power Outage

credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

  21.12.2012 Power Outage USA State of Maryland, [Annapolis region] Damage level
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Power Outage in USA on Friday, 21 December, 2012 at 09:27 (09:27 AM) UTC.

Description
The lights went out in the Annapolis area Thursday night as BG&E lost two main feeder lines, according to a BG&E spokesperson. As a result, some 50,000 customers lost power at around 9 p.m. The areas affected were the city of Annapolis, Westgate and Cedar Park. BG&E has crews investigating the cause of the the incident but as of 10:45 p.m., had not determined what caused the problem. BG&E did not make an estimated time of restoration of power. The feeder lines that failed feed several substations in the Annapolis area, according to the BG&E spokesperson, who said that it is possible that when the power failed, the substations also went offline. Because some equipment in the substations makes what sounds like an explosion when the large fuses blow, residents may have heard the noise when fuses blew, which also causes light as well as noise, the spokesperson said.

Tens of thousands lose power in Crownsville, Annapolis areas

3 fire stations worked on backup generators until power restored

The outage occurred just before 9 p.m. Thursday in an area west of Annapolis. Anne Arundel County fire officials said the power outage extended from Crownsville to Annapolis.

Baltimore Gas and Electric said Friday that a 115-kilovolt transmission line leading into a substation in the Best Gate area apparently fell at about the same time as all the sightings, causing the huge flashes of light and knocking out the power.

“With high voltage lines such as the transmission lines we saw last night, you will see a rather large flash in the sky,” BGE spokeswoman Rachael Lighty said.

While it may seem like a major fix, BGE crews actually had it fixed within hours.

“It’s very rare for us to experience an outage on a transmission line. It’s something we take very seriously. We were out there immediately and we got our customers back by 1 a.m.,” Lighty said.

BGE estimated roughly 50,000 to 70,000 customers lost power as a result of the incident. By 7 a.m. Friday, a majority of customers had been restored, with only about 1,700 outages still reported.

Fire officials said three county fire stations operated on backup power during the outage. No injuries were reported. Officials at Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis said the hospital was operating on generator power.

Because of the timing of the outage, some people literally thought it was the end of the world. (End of the world apocalypse on Dec. 21)

Bill Fritz and others in the Best Gate and Cedar Park areas saw a bright light in the sky at about the time the power went out.

 

“The sky lit up like I’d never seen before — very bright, different colors,” Fritz said.

Fritz explained seeing flashing blue, white, green and yellow lights before total darkness that left some to wonder if they Mayans had it right. Others, like Brian Rose, thought science fiction was becoming reality.

“Of course, my son had been joking about the Mayan calendar all week. So, I knew it was in the back of his mind, and I’m trying to keep it together, but in my mind, I was waiting to be vaporized and turned into a pile of dust like in a cartoon,” he said. “(The light) kept on getting brighter and brighter, different colors and the humming noise was getting closer. I was thinking UFO.”

Despite the actual cause, the light show was quite a scare and something no one who saw it will ever forget.

“We’re all laughing about it this morning, but a lot of people just, it was amazing, unbelievable,” Rose said.

Heading into the weekend, BGE is warning of more possible power outages due to high winds.